Post Tagged with: "competition"

It’s getting harder and harder to find actual news amidst the advertisements, but every now and then a few facts slip by. This piece was one of the most interesting I’ve seen in a long time. It has to do with the price of gas. From Bloomberg: “Refiners are managing […]

The “free market” is one of the most powerful frames conservatives use to advance their agenda. How many times have you heard the phrase “leave it to the market” or “let the market do its work”? This argument has been applied to everything from the breakup of AT&T to social security to just about every argument conservatives have about fighting “big government”.

The reason this argument is so effective is that most people can clearly see how the “free market” has brought many good things into their lives. The idea of a “win, win” situation is understood from daily transactions. When markets function properly, people often benefit.

The issue is that certain conditions are necessary to maintain this functioning “free market”. The Rockridge Institute has one of the best summations I’ve seen of the underlying assumptions of a “free market”.

Traditional arguments for competition and free markets go something like this: let the markets work, this will lead to more choice, better value and improved service. Competition is generally perceived as a good thing. Politicians have often used this argument to “open up” government run businesses such as the old […]