Defenders of the free market often have to explain how certain tasks would get accomplished if government did not do them. This volume of over two dozen Freeman essays shows how voluntary actions among individuals, some of them on “the market,” others part of civil society or the non-profit sector, can accomplish all kinds of tasks normally assigned to government. In addition, some essays explore the ways in which other kinds of voluntary activity, such as advertising, are also beneficial, despite what critics say. Essays on the private provision of social insurance, medical care, money, and roads are especially engaging.
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