What are Desirable Economic Complexities?

While a recent Bloomberg View article (Mark Buchanan) skewed towards the left, it starts nonetheless with a quote which is apt for this post. Particularly given the fact that efficiency gains - by whatever means - are mostly "blind" to political ideology:

Much of human activity is focused on the quest for efficiency - getting the most out of resources so that we can improve our standard of living. Problem is, what we perceive as efficient is often making us worse off in ways that are difficult for the human mind to grasp.  

Buchanan's article highlighted monoculture crops which have affected honeybee colonies. However, the monoculture concept extends well beyond agriculture, in terms of centralization and decentralization. There is a growing concern regarding "hollowed out" local economies in portions of the U.S., which I also touched on in "A Tribute to the Everyday Entrepreneur". As governments have taken over more of economic functions, sometimes little else is left behind, other than still taxable structures. Even as Washington worries about inequality, in recent decades it is Washington which has grown "out of balance" rich, from the nation's wealth.

Regular readers know that the "circles of sustainability" I emphasize are primarily economic in nature, even though other aspects of sustainability fit readily into the same paradigm. Both economic and organic environments suffer from overly streamlined measures which can cut the heart out of productive complexity. Often, the "efficient" results are guarded as well, with the confusion of unnecessary complexities. While the physical world starts to take on a sameness of appearance, the economic realm experiences a forced sameness in cultural definitions and acceptance of limited patterns of knowledge use.

Given the chance, individuals seek out nature where environmental diversity still exists, as well as cities where economic diversity also remains. Contrast the beauty of a natural forest, with pine trees planted in tidy rows which have little more than grass underneath. Anyone who has walked through planted "forests " knows they don't quite feel right. In order for the artificial forest to be "efficient", not much else in the way of organic life exists in the same space.

Even so, this form of efficiency is often easier to live with, than the monocultures of communities which are victims of economic centralization. Many such places are so bereft of knowledge use or resource potential, that what is left is mostly providers and consumers of hard drugs, with increasingly militarized police to skim off what benefit they can from the ensuing chaos and despair.

In the present, it often seems we have little left to generate positive economic complexities at local levels. Much of the process of price arbitrage in centralization, has been taken to levels well above the realities of many local economies. Fortunately, there is plenty of untapped potential on the horizon which could change this set of circumstance. Technologies are quickly developing (and becoming more affordable) which will become applicable for resource arbitrage at local levels, once again. Add those to the untapped potential of aggregate time use, and the new possibilities could finally overtake the present day gridlock of governments and special interests. Certainly, it's something to hope for.