What if everything just worked?

The subway was a little delayed the other day, since the escalator in one of the stations had broken down (I think, I came too late to hear the reason). The inconvenience was minor, but since you do not expect it to happen in well-oiled Japan, you are surprised.
The other month, when I was in Thailand, and I was astounded at how well everything worked. That was not the case the first time I came there, some 15 years ago. Thailand has come a long way, and they deserve to grow richer than China. Which may happen when the Asean customs union starts in 2015. China did not start growing for real until they opened up for trade, both inside and outside China. Nowadays, you expect things in China to work, although they may break. But you would be surprised waiting for a train, even one of the old steam trains.
When I was in India, I was surprised that anything worked. There, you may be surprised if the trains are running - although trains in India are one of the things that work best in the country. India has a lot to prove when it comes to bring welfare to their people. That a small minority can get rich there is no doubt, neither in China nor India. Nor Japan, in fact. That the rich are getting richer is a feature of an industrial society. How fast the poor get richer shows how well its politicians or bureaucrats have designed the society. Not that there is much they should do, other than getting out of the way, and making sure that people are not hurt.
Imagine what it would be if politicians legislated that trains should work. That they should be on time, have space for all passengers, be clean and cheap. Actually, that is the case in many countries. India is one.
Now, imagine what it would be like if the politicians only decided that trains should run in a safe way, and what the gauge of the rails should be. You would get a situation like Japan, where private train companies have tried to fill every possible niche where you can fit a pair of rails.
So why do the trains work so well in Japan, and so-so in India (you have to hand it to the Indian state railways that they make anything work at all)? My explanation is simple. The regulation is light enough.
Anyone interested in innovation might want to stop for a moment and ask the question why it would be any different in any other business. And why there are so many regulations and controls in business which do not need them in many countries. The ultimate defense from the authorities is usually that it is better for the consumer. But having travelled by train in Japan as well as India, I think I know which I prefer.