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Markets

ISBN: 978-0-745-64577-3

March 2011

Polity

176 pages

Description
Our lives have gradually become dominated by markets. They are not only at the heart of capitalistic economies all over the world, but also central in public debates. This insightful book brings together existing knowledge on markets from sociology, economics and anthropology, and systematically investigates the different forms of markets we encounter daily in our social lives.

Aspers starts by defining what a market actually is, analyzing its essential elements as well as its necessary preconditions and varied consequences. An important theme in the book is that a whole host of markets are embedded within one other and in social life at large, and Aspers discusses these in the context of other forms of economic coordination, such as networks and organizations. Combining theory with empirical examples, the book cuts to the core of understanding how different markets function, the role they have played in history, and how they come into being.

This accessible and theoretically rich book will be essential reading for upper-level students seeking to make sense of markets and their complex role in social life.

About the Author
Patrik Aspers is Associate Professor of Sociology at Stockholm University, Sweden
Features
  • Offers a fresh and uniquely sociological perspective on the construction and operation of markets.
  • Reviews classic and contemporary literature, but also organizes it in a way that provides a new and more advanced sociological view of markets.
  • Covers the theories, definitions and variety of forms of markets, as well as engagingly illustrating the theoretical discussion with empirical examples.
  • Accessible and engaging reading for students of economic sociology, and all those interested in how markets work in society.
To Purchase this product, please visit
https://dev.store.wiley.com/en-us/Markets-p-9780745645773