The incapable state

Many things are not working well in our society: lack of housing, congestion in health services, schools with unsatisfactory and not improving PISA test results, infrastructure with lack of investment and maintenance such as Rodalies or the AP-7, lack of investment in renewable energies in Catalonia along with a major blackout in the Peninsula (the causes of which we still do not know), security incidents such as systematic copper thefts, repeat offenders, marijuana plantations to win the European league and an increase in shootings with some murders in broad daylight.

The different government bodies do not seem capable of effectively tackling these problems; problems that, on the other hand, are not exclusive to Catalonia or Spain and that, furthermore, erode citizens' trust in the democratic system and fuel populism. What explains this incapacity of the state?

There are several causes. On the part of political leaders, there is electoral short-termism. Solving the mentioned problems requires planning and execution over years. Problems must be anticipated and not just reacted to when they arise. It is surprising, for example, that the increase in traffic on the AP-7 was not anticipated when the tolls were lifted and that maintenance is deficient. The problems of schools and health services are not only about resources, but also about structure and incentives (for example, school autonomy, director authority, transparency, and independent evaluations). Tackling fundamental issues is more difficult than stretching the public budget and requires much more political courage. Especially when the discontent of some groups who recurrently block streets and roads to achieve their goals is transferred to citizens, hindering their mobility. It seems there are too many corporate groups that override the general interests of the country with their veto power, whether they are train drivers who end up deciding on commuter rail, taxi drivers who decide who can enter the sector or not, or the neighbors themselves who decide on renewable energy installations or other sectoral interests. The citizen who used to walk through Collserola, the large park in the metropolitan area, finds it hard to understand that it has been indefinitely closed for months due to swine fever but that a Celtic village has been built inside to film a movie (even if with Russell Crowe). How is it that the large overpopulation of wild boars was not anticipated as a problem? Have the health benefits that Collserola provides to citizens with very little access to parks and gardens been taken into account?

It is not enough to have quality institutions and citizens who trust each other and the institutions (a country's social capital); furthermore, government bureaucracy must be effective. Here, a problem is that the structure of the administration leads the civil servant not to assume any risk. The control of the process is prioritized over the achievement of results. As Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson state in the book Abundance, democratic administrations in the United States, which allow for the blocking of public projects by different groups, have promised much and delivered little, and have managed to spend more without improving services or, for example, housing construction. The fact that the Treasury functions effectively in Spain in terms of revenue collection indicates that it is possible to provide the means and incentives for a government agency to achieve its objectives.

To address the fundamental problems, society must also be cohesive to achieve the necessary objectives and reforms. This creates consensus and legitimacy in actions. Unfortunately, the political context in many countries, and certainly in Spain, is one of great polarization and denial of the opponent, and partisanship has already seriously contaminated institutions. Some Nordic countries and Germany show the way. In the latter country, conservatives and social democrats have reached an agreement to make pensions sustainable, inspired by the Swedish model and following the advice of a committee of experts. Without cross-party agreements, for example, there can be no successful school reform. A reaction from civil society is needed to propose solutions and help build consensus that forces political parties to face economic and social challenges with a long-term perspective. It will not be easy, but it must be done.