There has been increasing interest and debate in recent years on the
instituted nature of economic processes in general and the related ideas
of the market, in particular the competitive process. This debate lies
at the interface between two largely independent disciplines, economics
and sociology, and reflects an attempt to bring the two fields of
discourse more closely together.
This book, newly available in paperback, explores this interface in a
number of ways, looking at the competitive process and market relations
from a number of different perspectives. It includes a wide range of
contributors, most of whom are leading writers and thinkers in the
field.
The book considers the social role of economic institutions in society
and examines the various meanings embedded in the word 'markets', as
well as developing arguments on the nature of competition as an
instituted economic process, rather than as competition being something
that disturbs norms or institutions. It goes on to consider the deeper
and more involved connection between markets and cognition, explaining
how institutions can ease cognitive difficulties, and the effect of
culture on markets and competition is also fully studied.
This book will be of vital use to students and academics working in the
fields of economics, sociology and business studies. It sketches the
agenda for future research about markets and the competitive process.