Thanks for the link, Jonah. I think Swallow’s a little too hard on Geoghegan’s retreat from the burden of choice. A lot of people feel that way about a lot of areas of life. It’s a problem that proponents of market-based reforms of education and health care also face. But markets, especially well-structured ones, often incorporate a lot of mental-labor-saving devices. Investing in broad index funds is easier than picking individual stocks; not participating in personal accounts (which most reformers say should be an option) is easier than participating in them; trusting other parties with good reputations for telling you what to purchase is easier than trying to reach your own judgments; relying on other people’s research about which schools in an area are best is easier than doing that research yourself; knowing someone diligent in the neighborhood who has looked that stuff up is easier than doing even that yourself; etc. Geoghegan’s fault (I’m basing this on Swallow’s excerpts) is not taking account of any such shortcuts.