Repugnant Market - Examples

Examples

The repugnance of markets varies according to time and culture. Slavery is a market currently considered repugnant while for much of recorded history it was considered acceptable. Examples of markets considered repugnant at one time or place include:

• Pregnancy/early childhood
  • Abortion
  • Adoption
  • Egg donation for research purposes
  • Fetal organs and aborted fetal tissue
  • Surrogacy, legal in India and most states in the U.S. (but banned in France and Japan)
• Drugs & food
  • Advertising tobacco and alcohol
  • Alcohol
  • Cadavers
  • Illegal drug trade
  • Meat of horses or dogs in California
• Labour
  • Child labor
  • Slavery or indentured servitude
• Social status/political power
  • Citizenship and/or immigration (Investor visas such as the U.S. E-2 visa are exceptions. Several notable economists have proposed selling citizenship)
  • Education
  • Lobbying
  • Military mercenaries
  • Political corruption activities, such as bribery and influence peddling
  • Vote buying
• Money/Speculation
  • Currency speculation
  • Gambling
  • Predatory lending, especially mortgage lending
  • Pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing
  • Selling short
  • Ticket touting in sports events and concerts
  • Usury (Has never been allowed by Islam and historically in Christian countries)

• Economic corruption/media power
  • Payola
  • Product placement in some European countries
  • Radio spectrum
• Sex
  • Pornography (Repugnant in some countries/cultures, especially paraphiliac pornography)
  • Prostitution
• Other
  • Certain prediction markets (e.g. 'terrorism futures market')
  • Health Care
  • Organ trade and organ donation from a live donor (Turkey and the Philippines are notable exceptions}
  • Life insurance
  • Real estate in Cuba
  • Real estate broker/agent profession or flipping real estate
  • Metered parking
  • Simony