Markets consistently outperform government at producing consumer goods and services. Competition drives innovation, better quality, and lower costs. The smartphone in your pocket exists because companies competed fiercely for your money.

Markets also excel at price discovery — figuring out what things are worth based on supply and demand. No central planner could set accurate prices for millions of products at once, but markets process this information automatically.

This works best where property rights are clear, buyers and sellers are well-informed, and competition is genuine — conditions that government often has to establish and enforce.