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Old 06-14-2007
Ambiguous Ambiguous is offline
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Member Since: Jun 2007
Location: my own hell
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Re: Economic theory and politics.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Luap View Post
Tell that to China. It is on a very fine line between "closer to a socialist" and "closer to a capitalist" economy--and how does one even define that line? Anyway, it doesn't make sense to assert that you can't really achieve a market economy if you start from a position of government control: you are telling a large portion of the world that all of their reforms are doomed simply because of the position they started in. I don't really understand your assertion here, either. Are you saying that any public regulation at all makes the economy closer to a command system than a free trade system?

What policies would you suggest to a state with an economy changing from command to market?
Actually, I am saying they are all doomed. Not right away, but they will all fail in time. Nothing lasts forever. All governments have a finite lifetime.

Let me put it this way. If you start with a government that decides how things are supposed to work, there is a limit to just how free an economy can be. That limit will vary within a range, but there is definitely a limit to just how much control a government is willing to cede back to the people. In order to achieve a market economy, you need to start from the principle of freedom. That principle is not compatible with government mandates.
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