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If I remember correctly, John Ralston Saul made the point [0] that there is little observed difference in terms of the efficiency of decision making between large government and large corporations.

My personal experience is that large organisations and government are barely distinguishable. This is often excused in the name of "risk mitigation" - but in my experience it's really just that there are more snouts in the money trough, and that politics is more important than success. The close ties between government and the largest organisations also invite a similar culture.

The end result for both government and large enterprise is "hard, slow and very custom". (Of course, there are exceptions in both government and enterprise).

[0] http://www.johnralstonsaul.com/non-fiction-books/the-unconsc...



This is been my anecdotal experience.

In the UK, I note that politicians extolling the efficiency of the private sector rarely have any substantial experience in big companies.


They have plenty of experience being wined and dined by executives of big companies though.




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