Well, the economics for the LHC are difficult, precisely for this reason.
Yes, it is possible the money spent on LHC could have been spent better on other "smaller scale" projects with a better cost/benefit ratio, and better aligned incentives (possibly even outside of the field of high energy physics)
I would have to study the economics of the LHC better to have a strong opinion on this though.
Yes, it is possible the money spent on LHC could have been spent better on other "smaller scale" projects with a better cost/benefit ratio, and better aligned incentives (possibly even outside of the field of high energy physics)
I would have to study the economics of the LHC better to have a strong opinion on this though.