Empirical evidence from economic research demonstrates that free-market dynamics and market power frequently generate wealth concentration and economic inequality rather than universal opulence.
The claim that free-market commerce naturally leads to universal opulence is a contestable economic proposition that is directly refuted by modern empirical literature. Multiple papers in the provided set demonstrate that unhindered market concentration, monopoly power, and oligopolies tend to exacerbate wealth inequality, enrich the top percentiles at the expense of the poor, and produce socioeconomic disparities rather than universal prosperity.