[jsbg]

> the theory of comparative advantage

It's not a theory. Firms trade internationally because it's cheaper, not because they "believe" in free markets.

> But government (society) can take a longer term view than a company that is influenced by pricing signals

Private markets routinely make multi-decade bets; entire industries (mining, energy, infrastructure, biotech) work on 20–100 year horizons. Risk and time are already priced in.

> Free market works in theory because you assume complete information

Free markets don’t "assume" anything; they function through decentralized price signals. And even with imperfect information, dispersed actors still aggregate and react to knowledge far better than any central planner can.