“For Adam Smith, crony capitalism fails on two grounds,” says Lauren Brubaker. “It is unjust, favoring a few at the expense of the many, and it is destructive of the desired end of political economy—economic growth.” Brubaker says Smith’s writings can help us properly frame the problems of crony capitalism, understand the causes, and formulate solutions for preventing or mitigating the corruption of free markets:

For Smith, the tendencies to cronyism, which are anchored in human nature, can be tempered by: (1) limiting government to a few essential powers (defense, administration of impartial justice, and certain limited public works and institutions); and (2) educating the public concerning the “folly” of attempts to direct the economy by legislators. These approaches offer the best chance to limit crony capitalism, its corruption of natural liberty, and its consequent undermining of benefits of free markets.

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