Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed

Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott

Humans have this bad habit of using science to reduce complex systems to individual components. They then optimize the individual system of interest. This seems to provide positive results in the short run, but reduces resiliency in the system, leading to long term issues. 

The concept of "scientific forestry" was an early attempt to optimize nature. Why have all these other plants in the forest, when we just care about certain trees? These trees were planted in an orderly fashion. That made it easy to manage. The elimination of other growth contributed to the organization and management. Alas, these other organisms also contributed to the growth of the forest. While the scientific forest provided short term benefit, the forests did not last. It was much more susceptible to challenges, from pests to inclement weather. 

Governments have tried a similar approach with people. Cities like Brazilia were planned to be perfectly organized. People were grouped in certain areas with schools in fixed locations. Different uses were separated, with large roads to allow people to quickly move around in cars. People would live in apartments, and there would be no slums. It would be a totally optimized, totally drab city. Alas, this is not how people wanted to live. The slums also came to provide the need for additional housing. Many "planned" developments suffer from similar problems. There are good intentions from government to provide housing or other benefits. However, by restricting other uses, they eliminate the other aspects of a city that make it livable.

Governments attempt at mandating improvements in agriculture have met with similar disastrous outcomes. Communist collectivization in China and the Soviet Union attempted to implement what was "best". Alas, these top down mandates led to mass starvation. Attempts in Africa to improve agricultural performance with uniform approaches failed to take into account the needs of individuals. The result was similarly not good. Even in the US, government incentives have led to implementation of these standard monocrops.

A uniformly organized society is easy for a government to manage. States encourage standardization and organization to help with their ability to government. They can also often see some short term gains, while the long term resiliency is a problem for someone else.