<P> There is not one single definition for a mixed economy; there are generally two major definitions, one being political and the other apolitical . The political definition of a mixed economy refers to the degree of state interventionism in a market economy, portraying the state as encroaching onto the market under the assumption that the market is the "natural" mechanism for allocating resources . The political definition precludes an extension to non-capitalist systems and is concerned with public policy and state influence in a market system, whereas the apolitical definition relates to patterns of ownership and management of economic enterprises in a society . The apolitical definition of mixed economy refers to a mix of public and private ownership of enterprises in the economy and is unconcerned with political forms and public policy . </P> <P> The term mixed economy arose in the context of political debate in the United Kingdom in the postwar period, although the set of policies later associated with the term had been advocated from at least the 1930s . Supporters of the mixed economy, including R.H. Tawney, Anthony Crosland, and Andrew Shonfield were mostly associated with the British Labour Party, although similar views were expressed by Conservatives including Harold Macmillan . Critics of the mixed economy, including Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich von Hayek, argued that there can be no lasting middle ground between economic planning and a market economy, and any move in the direction of socialist planning is an unintentional move toward what Hilaire Bloc called "the servile state". </P> <P> In the apolitical sense, the term "mixed economy" is used to describe economic systems which combine various elements of market economies and planned economies . As most political - economic ideologies are defined in an idealized sense, what is described rarely--if ever--exists in practice . Most would not consider it unreasonable to label an economy that, while not being a perfect representation, very closely resembles an ideal by applying the rubric that denominates that ideal . When a system in question, however, diverges to a significant extent from an idealized economic model or ideology, the task of identifying it can become problematic . Hence, the term "mixed economy" was coined . As it is unlikely that an economy will contain a perfectly even mix, mixed economies are usually noted as being skewed towards either private ownership or public ownership, toward capitalism or socialism, or toward a market economy or command economy in varying degrees . </P> <P> The concept of a mixed economy is not exclusive to capitalist economies (economies structured upon capital accumulation and privately owned, profit - seeking enterprises), and the phrase has been used to characterise some socialist economic systems . A number of proposals for socialist systems call for a mixture of different forms of enterprise ownership . For example, Alec Nove's conception of feasible socialism provides an outline for an economic system based on a combination of state - enterprises for large industries, worker and consumer cooperatives, private enterprises for small - scale operations, and individually owned enterprises . </P>

The economic system of the united states may be called a mixed economy because