NYC’s broken food cart system

Adam Davidson on the asinine and broken food truck/cart system in NYC. This short paragraph not only explains what’s wrong with the food cart biz in NYC but also with American politics in general:

Economically speaking, the problem is a standard one, known as the J-curve, which represents a downslope on a graph followed by a steep rise. Some sensible changes to the current food-vendor system may have long-term benefits for everyone, but the immediate impact could spell short-term losses for those who now profit from the system. A small group of New Yorkers — particularly owners of commissaries and physical restaurants — are highly motivated to lobby politicians not to change things. And most of the potential beneficiaries don’t realize they’re missing out. Many of the rest of us would love to have more varied food trucks, but we don’t care enough to pressure the City Council.

(via @tylercowen)

• Adam Davidson
• food
• NYC