The social order is poorly described by the simple dichotomy markets and states. Missing is a thicker description of all voluntary formats for individual choice and social problem-solving, including both for-profit and not-for-profit endeavors. Richard Cornuelle’s concept of “the independent sector” fills this gap. Independence can be thought of as a spectrum, with some organizations and economic sectors being wholly independent from governmental influence; other outfits being fully governmentalized.

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Daniel J. D’Amico is an affiliated associate professor at Wabash College and the director of the Stephenson Institute for Classical Liberalism.
Other Independent Review articles by Daniel J. D’Amico
Summer 2019 Knowledge Problems from behind the Veil of Ignorance
Spring 2015 The Social Order of the Underworld: How Prison Gangs Govern the American Penal System
Spring 2013 Lost Causes: The Retreat from Classical Liberalism