Ryan Avent discussing the urban decline from the point of view
of disruptive technologies   I tend to think this is important.
I would take a further step back as well and ask “why is all is
there some much institutional capital to being with.”  For
example, nimble high tech firms famously have rather flat
bureaucracy. The lack of many layers of management and hence
institutional capital allows the to adapt more quickly to
changes in the market.  However, most firms and government are
not organized this way. There are large managerial structures,
strict protocols for operation, quasi-feudalistic territorial
disputes between managers and departments.  My sense as that
these are all essentially anti-corruption mechanisms. When it is
difficult to measure the individual contribution of each of an
organizations parts then those parts will tend towards
corruption unless placed under strict management or rigorous
protocols.  To that end, I wonder whether or not a key to urban
vitality is the ability to measure the e