classification of govt. interventions

[Sanjeev Sabhlok <sabhlok@almaak.usc.edu>]

The following terminology helps get a handle on the kinds of
interventions we seek from govt (each intervention must be well
researched and effective; else it is meaningless anyway)

a) pro-active interventions

e.g., regulation of industry behavior. For example, there are laws in
USA which require firms to take back the goods sold within a particular
period if the customer is unhappy with the product for ANY reason
whatsoever. That is apparently misused by some customers, but it ensures
that industry is kept on its toes in trying to design products that
consumers like and wish to keep. Another example would be the regulation
of monopolistic practices. 

b) reactive interventions

things like justice; we need highly efficient mechanisms to punish
offences against disruption of the rule of law. Typical example (cited
by me earlier): efficient Police system to prevent over-speeding of cars
or parking of cars in the wrong place. The law must be not only well
armed but well funded and its employees very well paid to ensure the
rapid, uniform, and universal, application of the rule of law to
everyone.

If we adopt this classification as valid then we note that government in
India has attempted to be excessively proactive in certain areas of
'concern' without being sufficiently reactive in areas which uniform
enforcement of the law was necessary. Today, right in front of our eyes,
a large chunk of civil servants in India possess property well beyond
what they earned in their official capacity. Many of them took dowries
to marry (which is illegal as per conduct rules) and many others took
huge bribes. And a vast majority of politicians in power have assets WAY
beyond their earnings. Right in front of our nose, the law is being
violated each day in every way. That is not a very healthy situation.

We therefore want govt. to be effectively proactive and to let people
manage their own affairs to the extent possible, and to be vigorously
reactive and to severely punish ANYONE who violates even one tiny bit of
the law. 

Life has become unbearable in India because of these two interventions
being in the opposite direction to what should be. 

I can summarize this for the Preamble if folks will agree with this
interpretation.

SS




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