Assorted Links Monday

What I'm reading today:

In the shadow of its exceptionalism, America fails to invest in the basics.  Some choice quotes:

America can put a rover on Mars, but it can’t keep the lights on and water running in the city that birthed the modern space program. It can develop vaccines, in record time, to combat a world-altering illness, but suffers one of the developed world’s highest death rates due to lack of prevention and care. It spins out endless entertainment to keep millions preoccupied during lockdown — and keep tech shares riding high on Wall Street — but leaves kids disconnected from the access they need to do their schoolwork.

and

The disparities reflect a multitude of factors, experts say, but primarily stem from a few big ones: Compared with other well-to-do nations, the United States has tended to prioritize private wealth over public resources, individualism over equity and the shiny new thing over the dull but necessary task of maintaining its infrastructure, much of which is fast becoming a 20th century relic.

How to fix Texas from Dr. Ray Perryman.

Why you're feeling especially bad after spring-forward this week: blame COVID-19.

Is there an urban bias in rural development?

Market power, often calculated by the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, has increased, within several industries, with the advent of globalization and digitization. But does more power mean more efficiency in market outcomes?