debate the most appropriate levels and types of government policies
directed at achieving specific social goals. It follows that there is still
considerable room for disagreement about the degree of the mix of
market and government determination in any modern mixed economy—
room enough to accommodate such divergent views as could be
expressed by conservative, liberal, and modern social democratic parties.
So, the first answer to the question about the existence of an alternative
to the market economy is no: There is no practical alternative to a mixed
system with major reliance on markets but some government presence in
most aspects of the economy. The second answer is yes: Within the
framework of a mixed economy there are substantial alternatives among
many different and complex mixes of free-market and government
determination of economic life.