From your name I'd guess you are a fellow German... I can relate with what you say, too :'D
> it often looks like nobody is even trying anymore.
The key thing behind that is diffusion of responsibility: everyone knows that shit is broken beyond belief, but since there are so many different layers of responsibility, politicians (with whom the responsibility should rest!) often are successful in deflecting liability in a lot of different ways. The end result is that nothing changes.
