The Fallacy of Asymmetric Idealization

Will Wilkinson (Feb. 4th) has a fancy name for what I was warning against last week. He calls it "the Fallacy of Asymmetric Idealization". This fallacy is committed in either of two ways: by comparing a perfectly competitive market and the (presumptively relatively inefficient) state; and, conversely by comparing a non-ideal market and a Panglossian government

His blog and the piece in question are interesting - worth a look.