The David McWilliams Podcast Why Can’t the West Build Anymore?
13 snips
Nov 25, 2025 The discussion reveals why Western countries struggle to build infrastructure, contrasting with China's rapid construction capabilities. It dives into the impact of a lawyer-dominated governance model in the US and Ireland, leading to inefficiency. The podcast explores the historical significance of New York's engineering legacy and highlights the importance of empowering engineers over talkers in politics. By analyzing the cultural bias in electoral systems, it suggests that a shift toward doers could revitalize infrastructure and economic growth.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Engineers Versus Lawyers Shape Nations
- Dan Wang frames China as an engineering state and the US as a lawyer-run state, which explains differing capacities to build infrastructure.
- Engineers prioritise completion and scale while lawyers prioritise process and rights, creating systemic outcomes.
Book Launch On The Endgame Stage
- David recounts launching his book at Beckett's Endgame on the Irish Arts Centre stage in New York.
- He describes the full house, questions about crypto, and an amusing friend who fell asleep.
New York Subway Feels Like A Bygone Age
- David describes the New York subway's exposed rivets and industrial feel as relics of an earlier building era.
- He contrasts that visible engineering honesty with more aesthetic-covered systems elsewhere.
