The article argues that recent executive overreach and politicization have severely undermined established norms of U.S. civil-military relations. To restore professional standards, the incoming Congress must actively exercise its oversight powers, moving beyond mere criticism to demanding transparency in defense policy and personnel decisions. Key reforms include enforcing meritocratic promotion processes, requiring documented justification for senior officer removals, and preventing the partisan use of the military. These actions are crucial for bolstering public trust and ensuring the military remains a nonpartisan instrument of civilian control.
Industrial Policies: Even Modest Intervention Creates Market Distortions
English Summary
The article argues that industrial policies, which involve government favoring specific sectors or technologies, inherently create market distortions regardless of how targeted the intervention is. The analysis cites historical examples—ranging from railroad grants and tariffs to modern acts like the CHIPS Act—to demonstrate patterns of corruption, cost overruns, and misallocation of capital. While proponents point to successful Asian economies, critics argue that government subsidies often fail to identify true growth sectors or overcome political pressures. Consequently, the piece advises caution, suggesting that the fundamental problem of officials lacking perfect market information means that even modest interventions risk undermining efficient resource allocation.
中文摘要
本文論述指出，產業政策（即政府偏袒特定部門或技術）無論針對多麼精確，本質上都會造成市場扭曲。分析引用了從鐵路補貼、關稅到《晶片法案》等現代立法等多個歷史案例，證明了貪腐、成本超支和資本錯配的模式。儘管支持者以亞洲經濟體的成功為例，但批評者反駁稱，政府補貼往往無法識別真正的成長產業或克服政治壓力。因此，文章建議保持謹慎態度，指出由於官員缺乏完美的市場資訊，即使是溫和的干預也存在損害高效資源配置的風險。
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