Freakonomics Radio
566. Why Is It So Hard (and Expensive) to Build Anything in America?
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Show notes
Most industries have become more productive over time. But not construction! We identify the causes — and possible solutions. (Can you say ... “prefab”?)
RESOURCES:
- "The Strange and Awful Path of Productivity in the US Construction Sector," by Austan Goolsbee and Chad Syverson (BFI Working Paper, 2023).
- "Infrastructure Costs," by Leah Brooks and Zachary D. Liscow (American Economic Journal: Applied, 2023).
- "The Silicon Valley Elite Who Want to Build a City From Scratch," by Conor Dougherty and Erin Griffith (The New York Times, 2023).
- "A Decent Home," report by the President's Committee on Urban Housing (1968).
EXTRAS:
- "Edward Glaeser Explains Why Some Cities Thrive While Others Fade Away," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
- "Why Are Cities (Still) So Expensive?" by Freakonomics Radio (2020).
SOURCES:
- Vaughan Buckley, founder and C.E.O. of the Volumetric Building Companies.
- Carrie Sturts Dossick, professor of construction management at the University of Washington.
- Ed Glaeser, professor of economics and chair the economics department at Harvard University.
- Michael Hough, director of MJH Structural Engineers.
- Ivan Rupnik, professor of architecture at Northeastern University.
- Chad Syverson, professor of economics at the University of Chicago.
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