As the negotiations over the Build Back Better Act drag on — and the contents get repeatedly whittled down — I am increasingly irritated with how it is being described by many. Manchin’s objections are in part due to his desire to avoid an “entitlement society”. There have been numerous references to it being a program for “social welfare”, terminology that is laden with it’s own special baggage of existing for those who are needy, and thus easier to do without because most of us supposedly don’t have those needs. Some in the media, as they often are, seem to be meeting many of the concepts in the BBB for the first time and struggling mightily to explain them (Spoiler, Biden is not redefining infrastructure)
Beyond bridges: Biden redefines infrastructure to add people
WASHINGTON (AP) — Beyond roads and bridges, President Joe Biden is trying to redefine infrastructure not just as an investment in America the place, but in its workers, families and people.
https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-e6443ea6193eb2f38980c904983bcccf
Before Biden, before this legislative fight between the left, right, moderate and attention seeking wings of sundry parties; there was discussion of what is actually in the act. However, such discussion was likely to be occurring in academic papers or esoteric niches of urban planners and economists. It was also a notion those interested in business and investment liked to kibbitz with. The phrase that many seem to be looking for, and desperately needing, is SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE.
There is the hard infrastructure (what someone referred to as the “crunchy” parts) that we are all familiar with such as roads, bridges, pipes, and wires that keeps things moving smoothly. There is also the soft infrastructure of education, health care, law enforcement, banking regulations, etc. that is equally necessary. I think it would be easier for legislators, media, and citizens to get their heads around this terminology, rather than the fuzzy and value laden “welfare” or “entitlement”. It’s all infrastructure — the structure that underlies our economies, cities, and towns. Some of that infrastructure is “hard”, some of it “soft”, it is all necessary. Some of both kinds are even deemed “essential” or “critical”.
Yesterday, along with a group of business folks from across New Hampshire, I learned about the difference between “soft” and “hard” infrastructure. “Hard” is the obvious: roads, bridges etc. “Soft” infrastructure is human capital and institutions that cultivate it, such as community colleges and universities.
https://stateimpact.npr.org/new-hampshire/2011/10/26/infrustructure-soft-and-hard/
Soft infrastructure is all the services which are required to maintain the economic, health, and cultural and social standards of a population, as opposed to the hard infrastructure is the physical infrastructure of roads, bridges etc. It includes both physical assets such as highly specialised buildings and equipment, as well as non-physical assets, such as communication, the body of rules and regulations governing the various systems, the financing of these systems, the systems and organisations by which professionals are trained, advance in their careers by acquiring experience, and are disciplined if required by professional associations. It includes institutions such as the financial system, the education system, the health care system, the system of government, and law enforcement, and emergency services.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_infrastructure
There are two basic types of infrastructure:
- Hard infrastructure refers to the physical structures and networks a society requires to function, such as transportation networks (roads, airports, subways), energy systems (the electrical grid and pipeline systems), telecommunications (cell towers, data centers, fiber optic cables), and water and sewer systems.
- Soft infrastructure refers to the backbone institutions of an economy -- government and law enforcement, banking, and emergency services.
https://www.fool.com/investing/how-to-invest-in-infrastructure-stocks.aspx
Infrastructure can be put into several different types including:
Soft Infrastructure
These types of infrastructure make up institutions that help maintain the economy. These usually require human capital and help deliver certain services to the population. Examples include the healthcare system, financial institutions, governmental systems, law enforcement, and education systems.
Hard Infrastructure
These make up the physical systems that make it necessary to run a modern, industrialized nation. Examples include roads, highways, bridges, as well as the capital/assets needed to make them operational (transit buses, vehicles, oil rigs/refineries).
Critical Infrastructure
These are assets defined by a government as being essential to the functioning of a society and economy, such as facilities for shelter and heating, telecommunication, public health, agriculture, etc. In the United States, there are agencies responsible for these critical infrastructures, such as Homeland Security (for the government and emergency services), the Department of Energy, and the Department of Transportation.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/infrastructure.asp