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What is local government good for?

2026-05-06 · 07:57 UTC ·Works in Progress ·0 min read

Brief

Works in Progress' interview (published 2026-05-06) features Ben and Judge Glock unpacking how local incentives made Loudoun County, VA a data‑center hub and how similar incentives supported France’s nuclear buildout. The conversation (interview format) evaluates which public goods local government should provide, reassesses U.S. housing performance, and discusses when national limits on local power are necessary.

Why it matters

Ben interviews Judge Glock (Works in Progress; published 2026-05-06) about how well-structured local incentives helped turn Loudoun County, Virginia into the global capital of data centres.

Key details

  • They contrast incentive-driven local strategies (Loudoun) with national coordination (France’s extensive nuclear buildout) to show that inter-jurisdictional competition can let areas capture upside from economic growth.
  • They identify which public goods are best supplied locally, argue U.S. housing outcomes are better than its reputation suggests, and note occasions when national government must constrain local power; Glock also authored ‘The gold-plating of American water.’
Source evidence

Local government works best when areas can compete with each other and capture some of the upside of economic growth. Ben sits down with Judge Glock to discuss how well-structured local incentives helped make Loudoun County, Virginia, the global capital of data centres — and helped France build so many nuclear power stations.

They discuss which public goods local government is best placed to provide, why America has better housing outcomes than its reputation suggests, and when national government needs to constrain local power.

Read Judge Glock's piece on why water in America is too clean here: https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-gold-plating-of-american-water/

Channel: Works in Progress
Published: 2026-05-06
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvaHktb3Krc