Friday, October 2, 2009
Irrational Rationality
As I walk across campus with my daily heavy load of necessities in tow I cant help but feel controlled by an irrational bureaucracy that dictates where I am allowed to park my car based on seemingly little or no logic whatsoever. Not only is there very little parking at Mills but the parking that does exist is all assigned according to your "place" at the school. None of these assigned lots actually coincide with where any of us need to be on a daily basis. I don't park somewhere because it is convenient to my daily location but because it is my assigned lot. Why cant we park where we like, teachers, residents, and commuters all mixed up together according to their own personal needs. Weber might say that it is just a part of are inevitable iron cage.
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Oh my gosh! You're right! Just reading this I was thinking that I should shake things up and park in a lot that's not designated for me but then that would result in a sever punishment, via parking ticket. Bleh! Social control in action, they have us in their iron cage.
ReplyDeleteInteresting perspective. It turns out that the whole "assigned spot" thing is very tricky business and a great example of a problem that lends itself to the kind of analysis we'll do in the Ellickson book. We can try to define the "good" we want to produce -- least frustration? most cars parked in shortest time? most people getting to park where they want? freedom of people to get better parking if they are willing to pay more? Etc. Then we ask what system of rules is likely to get us close to that.
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