When Harold Robertson wrote “Complex Systems Won’t Survive the Competence Crisis” for Palladium, his warning was directed at America, but the logic resounds far beyond its borders. Robertson laid out a scenario in which modern societies, dependent on intricate, interconnected systems, are doomed to see increasingly frequent failures; not because of malicious intent or external threats, but due to the quiet, relentless erosion of competence within their institutions.
His core message is stark: when societies become more focused on short-term gains, image management, or shallow metrics like ‘diversity’ over deep investment in ability and accountability, they steadily lose the capacity to sustain the systems that keep civilization functional.
Robertson documents how bureaucratic inertia and a preference for optics over substance have led to cascading disasters: failing infrastructure, regulatory missteps, and a fraying safety net. In this world, the meritocracies that once built bridges, electrified valleys, or sent men to the moon have faded, replaced by a system increasingly unwilling, or unable, to reward real know-how. In this environment, skilled individuals disengage, innovation slows, and society becomes dangerously vulnerable to “normal accidents” – failures that are baked into complex systems when key components stop working as intended.
Though his lens is American, Robertson’s insights are broadly applicable. The central thesis that competence is neither guaranteed nor easily replaced, and that its decline spells existential risk for advanced societies, should give pause to any nation navigating rapid change or recurring crisis. He invites us to look beyond headlines and political slogans, and instead to interrogate the machinery of society: do we have the right people, the right systems, and the right incentives to keep the lights on and progress moving?
Nowhere is this question more pressing than in Romania. Though the symptoms differ in appearance (be it exodus of talent, fraught governance, or a disjointed labor market) the underlying ailment is the same. Romania, like the United States and other developed economies, is facing its own competence crisis, threatening the stability and future of the very systems that underpin daily life. Here, the cracks may seem smaller or less publicized, but the danger is real: complex societies, Robertson reminds us, do not survive on autopilot.
Short-Termism and the Strain of Governance
The most recent Romanian administration embodies the very challenge highlighted in Robertson’s analysis: a preference for short-term hacks over long-term institution-building. Faced with fiscal constraints and global economic headwinds, Romania had two starkly contrasting choices: (a) raise taxes for a quick revenue injection; or (b) nurture innovation for a more productive, future-proof economy. True to a decades-old pattern, the government opted for the former.
The result? Higher taxes and compliance costs for individuals and businesses, suffocating the very sectors that could drive sustainable growth. While a quick balance sheet fix may please international creditors or provide political talking points, it burdens Romanians with tighter wallets, discourages risk-taking, and ultimately undermines trust in public institutions.
Just like in larger, older democracies, these stopgap solutions erode the social contract and create a feedback loop of declining morale and disengagement. Those with high-value skills (entrepreneurs, engineers, and medical professionals) begin to question their place in Romania’s future. To paraphrase Robertson: when a system’s architects and maintainers see little reward for competence, they disengage, leave, or coast.
The Emigration Drain and Its Discontents
Romania’s competence crisis extends well beyond domestic policy. For years, the country has been hemorrhaging talent; waves of young, educated people seek opportunities abroad, often never returning. When they do, it’s rarely to invest in building competitive industries or modern public administration. Instead, emigrants tend to buy into inflated housing and automobile markets or refuse to take on roles that are perceived as beneath their education or dignity.
The labor left behind bears the scars. Faced with a shortage of willing workers in essential but undervalued sectors, Romanian businesses, and even state institutions, now turn to workers from Africa and Southeast Asia to fill the gap. These foreign-born workers are now ubiquitous: delivering food, waiting tables, cleaning offices and homes. While their work keeps parts of the economy afloat, the deeper implication is a diminished sense of societal cohesion and a further fragmentation of competency: Romanians increasingly opt out of the very work that underpins daily life.
This ongoing skills exodus is not just statistical; it’s visible in the slowdown of local services, the loss of technical expertise in key industries, and the lack of innovation in both private and public sectors. The more capable leave, the harder life becomes for those who stay – fueling a cycle of disappointment and departure.
The Western Future Is No Longer Promised
Recent travels across the US and Asia have solidified a difficult truth: the future does not belong to the West, at least not by default. In cities from Seoul to Manila, even routine civic life is marked by order, intentionality, and optimism rooted in real performance – not just image. Their systems, whether public transport or digital services, simply work. More tellingly, their governments and businesses seem deeply invested in meritocracy, innovation, and long-term societal health – values increasingly hard to find in both the US and EU.
In contrast, Romania, like many European countries, seems to be stuck in crisis mode… patching holes rather than reimagining and investing in new strengths. The contrast is striking, both in outlook and in outcomes.
If Romania is to escape its competence crisis, the solution is not just policy reform but a wider cultural reckoning. The country must shift away from quick fixes, away from tax hikes and bureaucratic burden, and toward meaningful investment in its people and potential. That means:
- Rewarding true competence, not credentialism or connections.
- Retaining and incentivizing the return of skilled Romanians, not simply importing labor to fill gaps.
- Recognizing that meaningful national renewal requires honest reflection and a willingness to break from old habits.
The world has never been more competitive. For Romania, the clock is ticking. Not just to prevent further collapse, but to ensure the very systems that enable modern life remain functional. Without a clear, country-wide bid for competence, the cracks will only widen.