The thesis of the loss of the perfect market

The prevailing sociological theory of transformation in the societal market is that it progressively deperfectionalizes. This is a myth linked to prevailing beliefs in Anglo-Saxon societies about the decline of laissez faire. The so-called laissez-faire period was in fact characterized by effective status constraints on the exchange of both labour and commodities. Organized or state-monopoly capitalism in fact expanded, opened and derestricted markets. Under current conditions of disetatization and organizational downscaling, markets are experiencing a further burst of perfectionalization. The myth of deperfectionalization persists because it appeals to both nostalgic and critical ideologies.