One weird trick to get data centres built
My post with Sam Bowman over on Consumer Surplus and more
I wrote about how to get data centres – which are currently being blocked in the UK, potentially snuffing out one of our most successful industries – built. The idea is that if a project has national significance, especially as a strategic influence, the national government should forego its share of the tax that project pays for using land and property (business rates).
I also explained how fragmented ownership leads to ugly and run down high streets, because no self-interested landlord has an interest in picking up litter or beautifying facades, as those benefits spill over, and it’s easier to free ride. Consequently, the solution is either single ownership (like a shopping mall, which are all car- and crime-free) or some sort of property taxation. Both are types of land value capture. I also did a popular thread on this.
I didn’t write this one, but I did edit it, and I think I contributed to how well it came off. It’s by Nan Ransohoff, the legendary, swashbuckling leader of Stripe Climate’s Frontier. And it explains how you can start your own Advance Market Commitment. See my thread on it (also popular!)
And you mustn’t miss Works in Progress’s Issue 15, which was out in mid-May. I find it impossible to pick favourites from any of our issues after Issue 05, when we got a bit more time to devote to working on it, but I think this one is easily one of the best. Check out the official WiP Twitter account thread introducing all the articles.