During the past decade, the labor market in France has not..

[smandke84]

During the past decade, the labor market in France has not been operating according to free market principles, but instead stifling functioning through its various government regulations restricting the hiring and firing of workers.

A) principles, but instead stifling functioning through its various government regulations restricting the hiring and firing of workers
B) principles, instead it has been functioning in a stifled manner as a result of various government regulations that restrict the hiring and firing of workers
C) principles, rather functioning despite being stifled as a result of government regulations that variously restrict worker hiring and firing
D) principles; the hiring and firing of workers is restricted there by various government regulations, its functioning being stifled
E) principles; instead, its functioning has been stifled by various government regulations restricting the hiring and firing of workers

OA is E. Why is B not the correct answer? I am not sure why B is said to have 2 independent clauses..

[smandke84]

Experts, can you please take a look at this?

I donot understand how the clause beginning with instead can be a "single sentence"

[jlucero]

I'm not sure how I can convince you, other than to show you it as a separate sentence:

During the past decade, the labor market in France has not been operating according to free market principles.

Instead it has been functioning in a stifled manner as a result of various government regulations that restrict the hiring and firing of workers.

"It has been functioning in a stifled manner." Subject + Verb, means we have a full second sentence. Instead is simply an adverb that acts as a qualifier. It would be not different than starting a sentence with "lately" or "rather".

[JiakangH700]

It looks like B is a run-on sentence, "instead" is not a conjunction

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

That, indeed, is correct.