In this inaugural episode of Vital City After Hours, host Jamie Rubin and producer Molly introduce their new podcast focused on New York City governance and policy. The main segment features Harvard economist Ed Glaeser discussing corruption, regulation and procurement in New York City. Glaeser explains that public procurement, which represents a staggering 15% of global GDP, has a major influence on infrastructure costs. He argues that New York's strict anti-corruption rules may actually be counterproductive, and that the city can learn from systems like Singapore’s, which gives procurement officials more discretion while maintaining strong accountability safeguards. Jamie Rubin, chairman of the New York City Housing Authority, reflects on the procurement challenges NYCHA faces, and how they compare to the programs Glaeser studies. The episode concludes with key takeaways about government capacity, the unique challenges of older cities, and how New York's complexities stem from its ambitious attempts to serve its people — themes that set the tone for future “After Hours” discussions about how New York City really works, and how we can help it work even better.