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Centralized control works out OK in retail because if an evil madman seizes power over Walmart everyone can go to Target instead.
by whatshisface 5y ago
Centralized control works out OK in retail because if an evil madman seizes power over Walmart everyone can go to Target instead.
- wcarss 5y agoInteresting. That implies an authoritarian dictatorship is necessary for central planning -- what reason is there that democratically elected representatives cannot operate centralized systems of resource procurement/management/allocation? Also, aren't Walmart and Amazon technically run democratically by their shareholders? Wouldn't the remedy for a madman running Walmart be a replacement elected by the board?
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- betwixthewires 5y agoYup, this is a very important point to be made. Central planning works very well when there is free association, that is, there is a market for people to pick organizations to associate with. A failure by planners leads to people quitting working there, downsizing, less business, all things that cannot happen in an organization where there's no alternative for people, such as a nation state. There is no low friction feedback mechanism for a state that enables it to reorganize as needed, mainly because we don't get to decide what state we are a citizen of.
- dundarious 5y agoWalmart is arguably already a private unaccountable tyranny that has seized near complete market control in many, many locations. Again, the criticisms and potential solutions cut both ways.