When a country’s leadership pipeline is dominated by engineers, the state tends to prioritize building and operating physical projects; when it’s dominated by lawyers, institutions proliferate veto points and litigation that slow or block builds. The contrast shows up in high‑speed rail, shipbuilding, and housing: China surges ahead while the U.S. stalls. Differences in elite training (more engineering degrees in China, soaring lawyer density in the U.S.) track these outcomes.
— This reframes state capacity as an elite‑selection problem, suggesting governance reforms that elevate technical expertise could materially change national build performance.
Isegoria
2025.10.14
50% relevant
The article argues China’s culture and legitimacy are rooted in executing long‑term, large‑scale public works to control floods, which aligns with the broader thesis that China’s system prioritizes 'building'—echoing the idea that engineering‑oriented governance cultures deliver big projects more readily than lawyer‑dominated ones.
Krzysztof Tyszka-Drozdowski
2025.10.08
90% relevant
The article centers on Dan Wang’s claim that the CCP’s engineer‑heavy leadership enables rapid bridges, rail, and subway build‑outs, while America’s 'lawyerly' vetocracy stalls projects—directly mirroring the idea that elite training shapes a state’s ability to build.
Jordan McGillis
2025.08.29
84% relevant
Wang’s depiction of engineers 'quite literally' ruling modern China—yielding swift highways, bridges, and Shenzhen’s rise—contrasts with a U.S. 'government of the lawyers,' directly echoing the thesis that engineer-dominant elites prioritize building while lawyerly systems generate veto points and red tape. His cautionary examples (one‑child and zero‑Covid numeric regimes) also show how engineering‑style control can misfire.
Noah Smith
2025.08.29
100% relevant
Breakneck’s core claim ('America is run by lawyers, China by engineers') plus Jonathon P. Sine’s charts on Chinese engineering study rates and U.S. lawyer growth, and examples like China’s HSR network vs California’s stalled line.