[uoaei]

Tangent: this discussion is an interesting microcosm of the liberatarian/social-democratic dichotomy of economic theory. GP says a market will take care of itself, parent says not without significant regulation or else the perverse incentives will eventually be exposed and exploited.

[skybrian]

I think it's more a continuum than a dichotomy, since there can be more or less regulation. A regulated market is usually considered to be capitalism. For example, the US stock market is regulated by the SEC. But it does get nebulous as you increase the scope and goals of regulation.