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Ok then give me an example. In the entire world there are places with weak governments and with laissez faire governments. Is there any place where I can buy a

Ok then give me an example. In the entire world there are places with weak governments and with laissez faire governments. Is there any place where I can buy a house with five different independent water delivery and sewage removal systems attached to it? If there isn't then you would have to rethink your theories don't you. The fact of the matter is that there is such a thing as a natural monopoly and just a cursory examination of the facts on the ground and the history of the last 150 years or so will prove it.

pitaj 8y ago
> there are places ... with laissez faire governments Not really > Is there any place where I can buy a house with five different independent water delivery and sewage removal systems attached to it? I never claimed that it exists. I claimed it was possible. A thing doesn't need to exist to be possible. > The fact of the matter is that there is such a thing as a natural monopoly Name some, then. Show me the evidence of all these natural monopolies which cropped up on their own, taking advantage of consumers, and resulting in the necessity of making them state utilities.
- dannyobrien 8y ago
  I’m not sure it directly helps anyone’s argument here, but 5 minute’s searching gave this study of water service in Nigeria, with a mixture of public and private services competing to provide potable water using different strategies. http://file.scirp.org/pdf/JWARP20120700002_74310948.pdf http://file.scirp.org/pdf/JWARP20120700002_74310948.pdf I think two responses to this would be a) that sounds like terrible public and private provision, and b) the competing water providers don’t all use pipes — they use boreholes, tankers, and rainwater collection, so they don’t count. But that’s probably how competition against an apparent natural monopoly would work: what might undermine Comcast, say, isn’t another cable company digging up the road, but a wireless broadband provider, or some technological alternative that circumvent the apparent advantages of the monopolist.

pitaj 8y ago

> there are places ... with laissez faire governments Not really > Is there any place where I can buy a house with five different independent water delivery and sewage removal systems attached to it? I never claimed that it exists. I claimed it was possible. A thing doesn't need to exist to be possible. > The fact of the matter is that there is such a thing as a natural monopoly Name some, then. Show me the evidence of all these natural monopolies which cropped up on their own, taking advantage of consumers, and resulting in the necessity of making them state utilities.

dannyobrien 8y ago
I’m not sure it directly helps anyone’s argument here, but 5 minute’s searching gave this study of water service in Nigeria, with a mixture of public and private services competing to provide potable water using different strategies. http://file.scirp.org/pdf/JWARP20120700002_74310948.pdf http://file.scirp.org/pdf/JWARP20120700002_74310948.pdf I think two responses to this would be a) that sounds like terrible public and private provision, and b) the competing water providers don’t all use pipes — they use boreholes, tankers, and rainwater collection, so they don’t count. But that’s probably how competition against an apparent natural monopoly would work: what might undermine Comcast, say, isn’t another cable company digging up the road, but a wireless broadband provider, or some technological alternative that circumvent the apparent advantages of the monopolist.