This kid-friendly site attempts to explain the difference between a free market and socialism. It contrasts the “totalitarian leadership” of a symphony orchestra with flexibility of a leaderless rock-and-roll jam. Parents: don’t try this metaphor at home. It would imply that socialism works most of the time in the right circumstances. A great orchestra under good conducting sounds really great. I know of no socialist economy that has every performed well, let alone in a way characterized as great.
The problem with the metaphor is that the coordination necessary for an orchestra is not the same sort of coordination as is needed in an economy. Playing good music is not really analogous with allocating scarce factors of production. There is no need to calculate for an orchestra. All of the notes, dynamics, and tempos are written for all of the players. The conductor actually helps the orchestra operate more efficiently in the sense that he helps it achieve the goal of playing the music the best it possibly can. A central economic planner never does this for an economy.
