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Laissez-faire (/ ˌ l ɛ s eɪ ˈ f ɛər / LESS-ay-FAIR; or / l ɑː ˌ s ɛ z ˈ f ɛ. j ə r /, 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 ).
Laissez-faire François Quesnay ( French: [fʁɑ̃swa kɛnɛ] ; 4 June 1694 – 16 December 1774) was a French economist and physician of the Physiocratic school. [ 1 ] He is known for publishing the " Tableau économique " (Economic Table) in 1758, which provided the foundations of the ideas of the Physiocrats. [ 2 ]
The freedom to contract is the underpinning of 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.
The other was the political doctrine of laissez-faire economics, namely that all coercive government regulation of the market represents unjustified interference, and that economies would perform best with government only playing a defensive role in order to ensure the operation of free markets.
[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 ...
Defining strictness in terms of freedom, or the lack thereof, to do things like ride a bus or cross the street alone, they decreed Nordic countries, along with Germany, the most laissez-faire.
Historian Kathleen G. Donohue argues that classical liberalism in the United States during the 19th century had distinctive characteristics as opposed to Britain: "[A]t the center of classical liberal theory [in Europe] was the idea of laissez-faire.
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