Capitalism: Is it Working?

[CleanShavenJesus]

Many countries in the world today practice capitalism. Hell, even Communist China has a capitalist economy.

My question to you is: do you think capitalism is the best and most beneficial form of economic system? Does capitalism help, in itself, solve our economic problems? It has many pros and cons. It's a very volatile system. It can be downright unpredictable.

[Something completely different]

It works.

It`s just a car with a motor made in Spain and autobody made in Russia and been driven by a drunk Italian.

[little_monkey]

Capitalism works best for most sectors of the economy. But certain sectors, in particular infrastructure, education and health, need more active participation from the government , while the banking system needs tight government supervision/oversight.

[Something completely different]

The term is soooo general.

When looking how many different aspects a nations economy has it is difficult to make a generalising statement on how it all should work.

[Tiberius]

Capitalism works. What most countries have is not capitalism, it is corporatism, where corporations have a lot of control over the government and pass laws to help themselves. Capitalism can be seen as the separation of the market from the state. In other words, the government does not pass laws that help individual corporations, and leaves the market to largely regulate itself.

[little_monkey]

When you're looking at things being produced such as nuts & bolts, aluminum siding, or a pair of shoes, capitalism (unhampered by cartels or monopolies or stifling regulations) is the best way to go. But when it comes to my health, I don't know if a can trust a bunch of people with profits on their mind.

[Something completely different]

When you're looking at things being produced such as nuts & bolts, aluminum siding, or a pair of shoes, capitalism (unhampered by cartels or monopolies or stifling regulations) is the best way to go. But when it comes to my health, I don't know if a can trust a bunch of people with profits on their mind.

I`d say everything that is considered to be a human right shouldnt be provided through private buisness alone.

[Sal]

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/05/o...d-markets/

An interesting article about how free markets seemingly erode otherwise moral behavior.

an excerpt:

A market for ethics

How can a marketplace have such a profound effect on people's decisions? The authors note that there are a number of factors likely at play. To begin with, it takes two people to agree to a deal that ends up with a dead mouse, and that may be viewed as distributing the responsibility to an extent. The mere existence of a market structure also helps normalize the decision in people's minds, suggesting that the situation is socially acceptable. Finally, the structure of a market displaces people's reasoning, shifting it from the life or death of a mouse to a competition over the particulars of a deal and awareness of the deals that others are cutting.

Based on http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6133/707 (requires subscription)

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Capitalism works. What most countries have is not capitalism, it is corporatism, where corporations have a lot of control over the government and pass laws to help themselves. Capitalism can be seen as the separation of the market from the state. In other words, the government does not pass laws that help individual corporations, and leaves the market to largely regulate itself.

This.

I also think that lobbyism skews the political arena by corporate interest groups.

[The Grand Nudger]

I think, that like any tool, capitalism can be applied to provide leverage in a specific task - but again like any tool, not all tasks are suited to it. Pound a nail with a hammer, turn a bolt with a wrench. We could point to places in which capitalism appears to work very well (and we'd have to reference the goal we were shooting for) - and we could also point to examples where it doesn't (again referencing a specific goal). Wouldn't that be the most neutral way of approaching the subject, rather than assuming a position of absolutes on either end "capitalism works/doesn't work"? Lobbying, btw... is just capitalism - in government - in action folks.....

[festive1]

Capitalism is a mixed bag... It doesn't belong in certain arenas and has way too much influence. I think Tiberius is spot on in pointing out capitalism vs. corporatism. Corporations aren't people and shouldn't be considered such under the law.