A thread through the archive
Essays tagged “bureaucracy”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Scott analyzes comments on his previous post about POSIWID, showing how the phrase's ambiguity leads to multiple contradictory interpretations while promoting conspiracy thinking.
Scott explains why firing bureaucrats wouldn't reduce red tape, as bureaucratic delays come from legal requirements and mandates rather than staff numbers, using the FDA and other examples to illustrate his point.
Scott Alexander examines the problematic nature of emotional support animal letters, highlighting the ethical dilemmas for psychiatrists and the system's shortcomings.
A review of 'Public Citizens' by Paul Sabin, examining how Ralph Nader's public interest movement transformed American governance, with both positive and negative long-term effects.
Scott Alexander reviews a book critiquing Institutional Review Boards, arguing they now harm medical research more than they help.
Scott Alexander responds to comments on his post about new telemedicine regulations, addressing various concerns and criticisms raised by readers.
A review of Ray Huang's '1587, A Year of No Significance', examining the decline of the Ming dynasty through the lens of an apparently uneventful year.
Scott Alexander defends his criticism of the FDA's approval process in the infant fish oil case, arguing that systemic issues cause harmful delays even when the FDA follows its mandate.
Scott Alexander corrects and expands on the story of Omegaven, a life-saving infant nutritional fluid, using it to illustrate systemic issues with medical regulation and drug approval.
Scott Alexander argues that the FDA is too strict, not too lax, and proposes unbundling FDA approval to allow for more nuanced drug regulation.
Scott Alexander discusses the trade-offs between accuracy and liability in medical information, extending the analysis to public health experts and the role of expertise in society.
Scott examines the possibility that bureaucracy sometimes serves as an intentional barrier to discourage unnecessary requests, particularly in healthcare, but questions how widely this concept applies.
Scott Alexander discusses the ethical dilemma of writing doctor's notes for back pain as a psychiatrist, leading to reflections on 'bullshit jobs' and procedural inefficiencies in the economy.
Scott shares reader responses to his IRB experience, ranging from similar frustrations to defenses of the system, and discusses concerns about increasing bureaucracy in research.
Scott Alexander recounts his frustrating attempt to conduct a study on a bipolar disorder screening test, highlighting the excessive bureaucratic hurdles that ultimately led to the study's abandonment.
Scott humorously describes his frustrating attempts to dispose of an oversized trash can, exploring various communication strategies with garbage collectors.
Scott presents a humorous list of fictional drugs banned by the FDA, each with unexpected and often ironic consequences.