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Laissez-faire (/ ˌ l ɛ s eɪ ˈ f ɛər / LESS-ay-FAIR, from French: laissez faire [lɛse fɛːʁ] ⓘ, lit. ' let do ' ) is a type of economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies or regulations ).
Criticism of libertarianism includes ethical, economic, environmental and pragmatic concerns. With right-libertarianism, critics have argued that laissez-faire capitalism does not necessarily produce the best or most efficient outcome, and that libertarianism's philosophy of individualism and policies of deregulation fail to prevent the abuse of natural resources. [1]
Freedom to contract underpins laissez-faire economics and is a cornerstone of free-market libertarianism. The proponents of the concept believe that through "freedom of contract", individuals possess a general freedom to choose with whom to contract, whether to contract or not, and on which terms to contract.
As anarcho-capitalism puts laissez-faire economics before economic equality, it is commonly viewed as incompatible with the anti-capitalist and egalitarian tradition of anarchism. Although anarcho-capitalist theory implies the abolition of the state in favour of a fully laissez-faire economy, [131] it lies outside the tradition of anarchism. [133]
[A]t the center of classical liberal theory [in Europe] was the idea of laissez-faire. To the vast majority of American classical liberals, however, laissez-faire did not mean no government intervention at all. On the contrary, they were more than willing to see government provide tariffs, railroad subsidies, and internal improvements, all of ...
In 1946, Leonard E. Read founded the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), an American nonprofit educational organization which promotes the principles of laissez-faire economics, private property and limited government. [188] According to Gary North, the FEE is the "granddaddy of all libertarian organizations". [189]
The Revival of Laissez-Faire in American Macroeconomic Theory: A Case Study of Its Pioneers. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. ISBN 1-84064-606-3. McCloskey, Deirdre N. (2010). Bourgeois dignity: Why economics can't explain the modern world. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226556659. Miller, H. Laurence Jr. (1962).
Although laissez-faire has been commonly associated with capitalism, there is a similar economic theory associated with socialism called left-wing or socialist laissez-faire, also known as free-market anarchism, free-market anti-capitalism and free-market socialism to distinguish it from laissez-faire capitalism.