---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Market mechanisms are totally irrelevant…"
description: "\"Market mechanisms are totally irrelevant when resources are used to serve a larger purpose, especially for the underserved, unserved, or marginalised.\"..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/kapil-sibal-5950_investing_market-mechanisms-are-totally-irrelevant_986689.jpg"
---

#  Market mechanisms are totally irrelevant when resources…

![“Market mechanisms are totally irrelevant when resources are used to serve a larger purpose, especially for the underserved, unserved, or marginalised.” quote by Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/kapil-sibal-5950_investing_market-mechanisms-are-totally-irrelevant_986689.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/kapil-sibal-5950_investing_market-mechanisms-are-totally-irrelevant_986689.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/kapil-sibal-5950_investing_market-mechanisms-are-totally-irrelevant_986689.jpg)

> “Market mechanisms are totally irrelevant when resources are used to serve a larger purpose, especially for the underserved, unserved, or marginalised.”

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Market forces are insufficient for addressing needs of marginalized groups; purposeful allocation is required.

**In simple terms:** Markets alone can’t serve everyone.

Key Takeaway

Design policies for equity.

Themes

economics equity policy marginalized groups

Mood

thoughtful concerned

Type

policy economic analysis

When to use this quote

- healthcare
- education
- housing
- public services

Key Concepts

development economics social justice

Questions to Reflect On

- How to balance market mechanisms with targeted aid?
- What metrics evaluate equitable outcomes?

A Different Perspective

Markets may still be useful for efficiency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Irrelevant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrelevant/) [Irrelevant Resources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrelevant-resources-1993760/) [Market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market/) [Market Mechanisms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market-mechanisms-926632/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Serve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serve/) [Totally Irrelevant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totally-irrelevant-1993761/) [Unserved Marginalised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unserved-marginalised-1993762/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/)

## Related quotes

> [The dissolution of the Oslo Accords would serve as the official act validating what we already know - that this failed framework is totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-danon/the-dissolution-of-the-oslo-accords-would-serve-as-the-official-act/)

[Danny Danon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-danon/)

> [I think the FISA court's basically totally irrelevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/i-think-the-fisa-court-s-basically-totally-irrelevant/)

[William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/)

> [ The White House, in advancing the agenda for a \[school\] "choice" plan, rests its faith on market mechanisms. What reason have the black and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/the-white-house-in-advancing-the-agenda-for-a-school-choice-plan/)

[Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/)

> [I think liberals have to come to terms with the market and embrace market mechanisms as the only way to run a society that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-massey/i-think-liberals-have-to-come-to-terms-with-the-market-and-embrace/)

[Douglas Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-massey/)

> [No one has characterized market mechanisms better than Friedrich von Hayek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/no-one-has-characterized-market-mechanisms-better-than-friedrich-von/)

[Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/)

> [But that incessant drive to be out there in the literary universe that was important to me when I was in my twenties, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-moody/but-that-incessant-drive-to-be-out-there-in-the-literary-universe/)

[Rick Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-moody/)

> [Age is just a number. It's totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-collins/age-is-just-a-number-it-s-totally-irrelevant-unless-of-course-you/)

[Joan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-collins/)

> [“Your size is irrelevant to your ability to find fulfillment, purpose, love, a sense of worthiness, and the ovaries to not give a fuck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jes-baker/your-size-is-irrelevant-to-your-ability-to-find-fulfillment-purpose/)

[Jes Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jes-baker/)

> [Committing to providing greater opportunities for disabled actors should include writing disabilities into more roles where it is irrelevant to the storyline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mccausland/committing-to-providing-greater-opportunities-for-disabled-actors/)

[Chris McCausland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mccausland/)

> [There's none as deaf as those who won't listen. I get letters. If they are moronic, they go in the wastepaper basket, but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-bates/there-s-none-as-deaf-as-those-who-won-t-listen-i-get-letters-if-they/)

[Ken Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-bates/)

> [One Irrelevant thought, that started out as a Spark could be a Poisonous Dart that leaves a Permanent mark on that paper thin Heart .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-strong/one-irrelevant-thought-that-started-out-as-a-spark-could-be-a/)

[One-\_\_\_-Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-strong/)

> [I guess I make a lot of stupid comments that are, like, pretty irrelevant to a lot of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-bellinger/i-guess-i-make-a-lot-of-stupid-comments-that-are-like-pretty/)

[Cody Bellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-bellinger/)

> [There are big lines between those who play video games and those who do not. For those who don't, video games are irrelevant. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/there-are-big-lines-between-those-who-play-video-games-and-those-who/)

[Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/)

> [Somebody's going to hear a song that will key in a nerve or something in their experience that represents their own vision. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/somebody-s-going-to-hear-a-song-that-will-key-in-a-nerve-or-something/)

[Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/)

> [In an economy increasingly dominated by network effects, peer-to-peer transactions, self-regulation, and contract labor, the old frameworks are woefully irrelevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand-giridharadas/in-an-economy-increasingly-dominated-by-network-effects-peer-to-peer/)

[Anand Giridharadas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-giridharadas/)

## More by Kapil Sibal

> [Ownership is a very complex judicial concept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/ownership-is-a-very-complex-judicial-concept/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [You may dislike what somebody else has said; that is perfectly valid. You may not agree with what somebody else has said. But saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/you-may-dislike-what-somebody-else-has-said-that-is-perfectly-valid/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [Ever since Modi became prime minister, he has given a free rein to his ministers and BJP functionaries to create an environment of communal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/ever-since-modi-became-prime-minister-he-has-given-a-free-rein-to-his/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [Judges decide upon copyright law. They decide upon trademark law. They decide upon scientific issues. They decide upon very complex technical issues on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/judges-decide-upon-copyright-law-they-decide-upon-trademark-law-they/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [Most of us tend to be swayed by what we read. Judges are not superhuman. They, too, are mortals. This is why they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/most-of-us-tend-to-be-swayed-by-what-we-read-judges-are-not/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [Just as judges have enormous stake in the appointment of judicial officers in the higher judiciary, the government has an equal stake. Since both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/just-as-judges-have-enormous-stake-in-the-appointment-of-judicial/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [When you have a limited resource and you have a lot of people wanting that resource, then those who get more justify as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/when-you-have-a-limited-resource-and-you-have-a-lot-of-people-wanting/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [To fix India's healthcare scenario, what is most needed is 'systems thinking.' For far too long, India has followed a vertical approach in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/to-fix-india-s-healthcare-scenario-what-is-most-needed-is-systems/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [Corruption is everywhere. It's not just in the Congress. Corruption is not just your prerogative or mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/corruption-is-everywhere-it-s-not-just-in-the-congress-corruption-is/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [I believe a true Hindu in India could never have endorsed the killing of the Mahatma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/i-believe-a-true-hindu-in-india-could-never-have-endorsed-the-killing/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [I personally believe technology can transform the functioning of the judicial system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/i-personally-believe-technology-can-transform-the-functioning-of-the/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [The greater the power, the greater the responsibility in its exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/the-greater-the-power-the-greater-the-responsibility-in-its-exercise/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [While the Internet is important for us, India is also necessary for the Internet with its 1.2 billion population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/while-the-internet-is-important-for-us-india-is-also-necessary-for/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [To the youth who have taken up guns, I urge them to return to their parents and shun violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/to-the-youth-who-have-taken-up-guns-i-urge-them-to-return-to-their/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

> [Cleanliness is a good thing, which the society should embrace. But it has nothing to do with Modi, nor can he implement it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/cleanliness-is-a-good-thing-which-the-society-should-embrace-but-it/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

[Explore all 100 Kapil Sibal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

## More Investing quotes

> [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/)

[Michael Fishman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fishman/)

> [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/)

[Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/)

> [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [“The market was king, that much was clear. Share worth had replaced human worth. And it wasn’t so much a question of what that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/the-market-was-king-that-much-was-clear-share-worth-had-replaced/)

[Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/)

> [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/)

[Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/)

> [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/)

[Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/)

> [“Wed don't need to live like the elites of California, New York, or Washington, D.C. We don't need to work a hundred hours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/wed-don-t-need-to-live-like-the-elites-of-california-new-york-or/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [Television series are like the stock market. There's room for bears and bulls but no room for pigs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/television-series-are-like-the-stock-market-there-s-room-for-bears/)

[Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/)

> [That's one of the things about the NFL is that you have small-market teams, big-market teams. I feel like the bigger market teams do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kelce/that-s-one-of-the-things-about-the-nfl-is-that-you-have-small-market/)

[Travis Kelce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kelce/)

> [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/)

[Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/)

> [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/)

[Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/)

> [“a select group of high-performing companies have managed to close the strategy-to-performance gap through better planning and execution. These companies—Barclays, Cisco Systems, Dow Chemical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mankins/a-select-group-of-high-performing-companies-have-managed-to-close-the/)

[Michael C. Mankins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mankins/)

> [I'll invest my money in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-keith-kellogg/i-ll-invest-my-money-in-people/)

[Will Keith Kellogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-keith-kellogg/)

[Browse all 13,164 Investing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Market mechanisms are totally irrelevant when resources are used to serve a larger purpose, especially for the underserved, unserved, or marginalised.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kapil Sibal"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/market-mechanisms-are-totally-irrelevant-when-resources-are-used-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Investing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/market-mechanisms-are-totally-irrelevant-when-resources-are-used-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/kapil-sibal-5950_investing_market-mechanisms-are-totally-irrelevant_986689.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/kapil-sibal-5950_investing_market-mechanisms-are-totally-irrelevant_986689.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/kapil-sibal-5950_investing_market-mechanisms-are-totally-irrelevant_986689.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Market mechanisms are totally irrelevant when resources are used to serve a larger purpose, especially for…” — Kapil Sibal",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Kapil Sibal",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Market mechanisms are totally irrelevant when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/market-mechanisms-are-totally-irrelevant-when-resources-are-used-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/market-mechanisms-are-totally-irrelevant-when-resources-are-used-to/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
