Acerca dos investimentos grandes

Ás vezes ouvimos vozes, que foram jovens nos anos sessenta do século passado, suspirar pelos investimentos grandes do passado:

"The bigger the firms, the larger the share of fixed costs in total costs. Networks, infrastructure, trained personnel, management, research, and capital equipment are among the fixed costs, as are pensions incurred on past labor. Hourly labor and materials are variable. The greater the fixed costs, the longer a company, project, industry, or technology must last in order to justify the initial investments, and the more the need for control over circumstances, including political stability, resource costs, competition, and the market, stretching far into the future. For this reason, only in times of optimism, security, and confidence will great projects be undertaken by private firms. Only then are they foreseen to yield great rewards—and only then will financing will be available for them at low rates and for long terms.
...
But when resources are scarce and expensive, when uncertainties loom large, then time horizons shorten. Scale is limited, and total surplus or profit is less than would be available to the large enterprise under stable conditions. Since profits are less, distributive conflicts—among labor, management, owners, and the tax authorities—become more intense. Confidence in good outcomes wavers."

Trechos retirados de "The End of Normal" de James K. Galbraith