sometimes, india's long-worn excuse that "we can't do things that well in a democracy" has a ring of truth to it.
the economist's diarist on efficient construction in beijing under the guise of olympic preparations puts it well: http://economist.com/daily/diary/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8951298 -- Every new building going up in China displaces people with an older claim on the land. People pushed out of a hutong go into scattered tower blocks, and the tower blocks displace the illegal huts of by migrant workers. Farmland seized by government order vanishes beneath gaudy developments for the new rich. Where do the migrant workers and peasants go? Well, there is always demolition and construction work in the city, with jerry-built dormitories on site. In the neighbourhood where I lived, rumours of imminent destruction had long swirled. One day, just before I was to move out of Beijing, posters went up announcing that a swathe of the city measuring two square kilometres was to go, withonly a handful of temples and courtyard houses spared. Locals had two months to get out, for compensation of 100,000 yuan ($12,000). Those who took longer would get less. Some were happy to take the money and move. (“Stylish new furniture doesn’t sit well in these old-fashioned buildings,” one neighbour had told me.) Others, remarkably, dared to protest. Uncertain what to do, the authorities tolerated the protests for a while. Then more posters went up saying protesters would not be compensated, while the ringleaders would be jailed. People melted away. -rishab
