Lindblom - The Market System - Afghan Journalists' Committee

7Chosen DomainWisely or foolishly, societies—more specifically thosemasses or elites that make policy—choose not to use themarket system as fully as they might. They turn instead toother methods of coordination, or they mix the market systemwith the others. Public education in most societies isnot organized by market demand, although teachers are recruitedthrough the market system. Many societies also tryto keep child labor—or narcotics or judicial decisions—outof the market system. Why do societies curb the use of themarket system? It is not hard to find good reasons, and somepoor reasons as well.One reason is ideological or philosophical hostility,such as Lenin and his associates brought to the new SovietUnion and Mao to China. Lying behind ideology are, however,a set of specific objections to the market system. Almosteveryone acknowledges the validity of most of them. Ishall not, however, evaluate them. I want simply to displaythe variety of objections to the market system that accountfor its less than maximum scope.Many people believe that, regardless of output, the marketprocess itself is sometimes undesirable—even unethicalor immoral. Blood donors, many people believe, shouldgive their blood, not sell it. Many people shrink from engagingin financial transactions with friends or family members.Some people fear that social solidarity is undercut bythe very process of buying and selling. At least a few eccentricswill not protect themselves by buying insurance,