[dragonwriter]

> A case for mandatory vaccination can be made, as it addresses public health threats, which are negative externalities. Meat inspection cannot.

Meat inspection deals with a different failure of ideal markets than direct externalities, to wit, information asymmetry. However,the market inefficiency produced by information assymetry itself has negative externalities, so it's not unrelated.

[Jabanga]

People, left to their own devices, manage complexity effectively.

For example, most people don't understand how microprocessors work. But this is addressed through an effective and spontaneous process of delegating responsibility.

The government can play a positive role in helping manage this complexity, by providing certification programs, and freely available public information. What it should not do is constrain the actions of individuals, by mandating that a particular standard be used.