On Wednesday, December 07, 2011 01:43:25 AM [email protected] wrote:
"Ordoliberal theory holds that the state must create a proper legal environment for the economy and maintain a healthy level of competition (rather than just "exchange") through measures that adhere to market principles." "The concern is that, if the state does not take active measures to foster competition, firms with monopoly (or oligopoly) power will emerge, which will not only subvert the advantages offered by the market economy, but also possibly undermine good government, since strong economic power can be transformed into political power" -------------------- Requiring competion is a bass-ackwards way to build a humane economy. This solution is like trying to fight fire with fire. Competition is about the capture of scarce resources and the suppression or elimination of those that cannot get them. Rather than perpetuate a system you know leads to bad outcomes maybe people should try another system. The focus should be on sustained *diversity* not on any process of elimination. You want to keep all people involved in the economy, not drive the less capable into the dirt. It seems to me that the concept of competition is often used where it's not appropriate. In free software we have all kinds of graphical desktop environments and most people would say they are competing with each other. In this case there is no scarcity as users may use any or all of these interfaces and developers are free to mix and match ideas between them. The dynamic between these projects is much more symbiotic than competitive. To put an end to scarcity we must attend to systems of abundance, not pretend that systems of scarcity management (e.g. money and markets) are going to trancend themselves. Ha ha! There's a slogan for you: "Attend, not pretend!" -Karl