NLET White Paper Marketplaces Challenge

Marketplaces as a Concept—and Their Limits 

Marketplaces are not new. For centuries, they have served as mechanisms for matching supply and demand in dynamic environments. This model works well in financial markets and in markets for goods and services. It works far less well when mediating between heavily regulated educational institutions, legislatively constructed agencies, and powerful nonprofits and philanthropies that can shape public debate without producing measurable outcomes. 

Over time, substantial public and philanthropic capital has been expended across the opportunity ecosystem with relatively few durable results.⁷⁸⁹