If capable people are recruited into the ranks of public management there is no apparent reason why they should not be able to manage as competently under human regulation as under the forces of abstract market regulation. But market dogma closes minds to such considerations. Ptolemy had to be correct because dogma held that man was at the top of creation's ladder and thus must be the centre of all things. The sensible and scientific way to approach public-service delivery is with an open mind to the evidence. There are infinite ways to combine market and regulation, and the scientific approach to choosing one would be to observe and record the variations objectively.
Science requires that theory be built from accumulated evidence.
Dogma takes whatever evidence appears and then squishes and pounds it until it fits, however awkwardly, with preconceived notions. Our government in Ontario is currently drawing up plans to deregulate the provision of energy in the province. If things unfold as intended, the industry will become more productive and we will have cheaper fuel. If they go wrong, we will be freezing in the dark. Because the stakes are so high, caution would seem appropriate.