The Market

Key Concepts (Polity)

by Alan Aldridge

The Market addresses one of the most controversial answers to the question, ‘how is social order possible?’ Ever since Adam Smith conceived the idea of an ‘invisible hand’, advocates of the market have argued that social cohesion, material prosperity and political vitality are best achieved not by central control and planning but by laissez-faire – the policy of non-intervention.

In this book, Alan Aldridge guides readers through the complex interplay between analysis, description and ideology that characterizes social theorizing on the market. A distinctive feature of The Market is its emphasis on the role of culture in shaping the social reality of markets as perceived and experienced by people participating in them.

Ideologies examined include:

The Market will be essential reading for students and researchers interested in the sociology of economic life, economic sociology and political economy.

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

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