The marketplace is the paradigmatic instance of this kind of order, he argues, which is why Hayek became a hero for postwar conservatives in the United States. Individuals in free-market economies enter into a rule-based framework that enforces procedural fairness and evenhanded dealings. But these rules are formal and remain agnostic about the ends individuals seek. In a well-ordered framework, the price mechanism allows buyers to find sellers, and a mutually beneficial exchange takes place. Over the longer term, firms are established, individuals enter into employment contracts, and supply
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