http://theunbrokenwindow.com/2009/12/18/janitorial-market-failure/ The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design. - F.A. Hayek Thu, 24 May 2012 11:48:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 http://theunbrokenwindow.com/2009/12/18/janitorial-market-failure/comment-page-1/#comment-11438 Anthony Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:40:02 +0000 http://theunbrokenwindow.com/?p=2031#comment-11438 I think the point at issue is not, in fact, the existence of germs on the surface but, rather, the appearance of a germ free surface. If you truly want to consider all human action as a trade off between one good versus another, then take the perspective which considers thought as a market. The brain only has so much capacity and the germaphobia proves to be very preoccupying. Thus, in order to allow the average individual to pay no mind to the thousands of potential germs all over the bathroom, elevator, office, etc, they pay a man next to minimum wage. If you consider the dollars per hour a CEO makes simply to contemplate the big picture of the company, adding 5 extra minutes to this deep thoughts instead of how many times he needs to wash his hands seems to be a valuable investment. Even if he as just as likely to contact a disease when the surface is cleaned versus the alternative, we allow ourselves to be fooled into thinking it is clean simply because we see a person is there cleaning. Appearance can, sometimes, be everything. I think the point at issue is not, in fact, the existence of germs on the surface but, rather, the appearance of a germ free surface. If you truly want to consider all human action as a trade off between one good versus another, then take the perspective which considers thought as a market. The brain only has so much capacity and the germaphobia proves to be very preoccupying. Thus, in order to allow the average individual to pay no mind to the thousands of potential germs all over the bathroom, elevator, office, etc, they pay a man next to minimum wage. If you consider the dollars per hour a CEO makes simply to contemplate the big picture of the company, adding 5 extra minutes to this deep thoughts instead of how many times he needs to wash his hands seems to be a valuable investment. Even if he as just as likely to contact a disease when the surface is cleaned versus the alternative, we allow ourselves to be fooled into thinking it is clean simply because we see a person is there cleaning. Appearance can, sometimes, be everything.

]]> http://theunbrokenwindow.com/2009/12/18/janitorial-market-failure/comment-page-1/#comment-11427 Speedmaster Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:43:52 +0000 http://theunbrokenwindow.com/?p=2031#comment-11427 You know that sick feeling when you press the handle on a public wall-mounted Purell dispenser and nothing comes out, it's completely empty? Then you realize that since you touched the handle, you're now worse off than if you had never even gotten involved? I hate that feeling. You know that sick feeling when you press the handle on a public wall-mounted Purell dispenser and nothing comes out, it’s completely empty? Then you realize that since you touched the handle, you’re now worse off than if you had never even gotten involved? I hate that feeling.

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