By Benjamin Spies-Butcher, Joy Paton, and Damien Cahill
Market Society: History, Theory, Practice explores the social basis of economic life, from the emergence of market society in feudal England to the complex and interwoven markets of modern capitalist society. This lively and accessible book draws upon a variety of theories to examine the social structures at the heart of capitalist economies. It considers how capitalism is constituted, the institutions that regulate economic processes in market society and the experience of living in contemporary market societies. Market Society: History, Theory, Practice provides students of both political economy and economic sociology with a more nuanced understanding of how markets and people interact and how this relationship has influenced the nature and structure of modern economies.
About the Authors
Ben Spies-Butcher lectures in Economy and Society in the Department of Sociology at Macquarie University. Joy Paton is a lecturer at the Department of Political Economy at the University of Sydney. Damien Cahill is associate professor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney.
"Throughout the book there are numerous summaries of key economic and social concepts, theories and debates. Students will certainly find this an enormously valuable compendium of material for understanding economy and society. [...] it gains coherence through the use of recurrent themes, such as the importance of social embeddedness in the existence and functioning of markets. Mainstream economics is, of course, the poorer for largely neglecting these underpinnings. [...] the implicit message in the book is that understanding economy and society requires continuous judgments about the usefulness or otherwise of the theoretical lenses that shape our perceptions. Hence the careful assessments of a range of concepts that are in common but frequently loose usage - such as social capital, Fordism and post-Fordism, commodification, consumerism, globalisation and theories of class. [...] It is enthusiastically recommended, whether for student use or for academics and other concerned citizens wanting a readily accessible analysis of the main features of contemporary economy and society."
Table of Contents of Market Society
Part 1 - Constituting market society
- Production, value and commodification
- Growth, accumulation and crisis
- Inequality, distribution and conflict
