They are also inherently rigid, risk-averse, and reluctant to innovate, because they know that if they deviate from the letter of the law, or if an innovation goes awry, they will be chastised politically. And costly, ineffective programs are notorious for surviving indefinitely because they develop powerful defenders.
彼得·舒克（Peter Schuck）的新书《为何政府屡战屡败》（Why Government Fails So Often）提供了周详的悲观分析。政府机构总是倾向于将钱用于舒克称之为“坏赌注”和“烂苹果”的项目。它们还天生具有僵化、风险厌恶、不愿创新的特点，因为它们知道，如果偏离了法律条文，或者如果创新效果不佳，它们就会受到政治上的惩罚。而低效率项目总能毫无例外地存在，原因在于它们有强大的撑腰力量。