While 'HealthEdGov' may have been the place to be over the past ten years, it's worth pointing out that that sector is basically a remora- a useful parasite to the shark, but still a parasite.
As a society, we need a stronger 'rest of the economy'.
To the extent that HealthEdGov is a proxy for just Gov (considering the amount of government money spent on Health and Ed), I suppose that's true. But Health and Ed definitely contribute a lot to productivity, I think. Sick, injured and dead people do not produce as much value as healthy people, and well educated people tend to produce more value than under educated people.
Disclaimer: this is being typed by someone whose paycheck comes directly from the EdGov sector.
Intuitively, we believe that health and ed contribute to productivity, wealth, etc. But the evidence that health and education (beyond the basics) contribute much is actually pretty weak.
Good point but I disagree. Ed is more like an investment, and Health Care is an important industry. Demand for it is huge. Everyone has health problems, while fixing them is important and often nontrivial.
Also, a remora is typically considered a symbiote, not a parasite.
As a society, we need a stronger 'rest of the economy'.