At 08:57 PM 4/16/01 -0500, Jim Choate wrote:
On Mon, 16 Apr 2001, David Honig wrote:
The diamond-trading jews of New York use reputation (ostracism from the community, centrally enforced by a council that rules their voluntary association) to handle 'arbitration'.
They're also responsible to the same law and license that every other diamond trader in NY is responsible to. This isn't a 'market' in the economic sense, it's an extension of their religion (clearly a non-economic aspect to their culture).
You have it backwards. It has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with culture. The buddhists of nepal could have manage their section of the jade bead market the same way.
Jews also use a non-governmental USDA to keep their food clean.
Which again isn't really a 'market' per se since there isn't a statistical issue here. ALL Jews, as opposed to some percentage of same, technicaly require their food to be kosher.
I'm not going to discuss jewish law with a texan sitting shiva for a Ramone.