What Are Markets For?

Name: What Are Markets For?
Price: 20.95 AUD
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ISBN: 9781529244175

Philip Roscoe (University of St Andrews)

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Paperback

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English

Bristol University Press
30 June 2026

Economic systems & structures; Finance; Organisational theory & behaviour

Series: What Is It For?

A new perspective on the role of the market, and its future place in society.

Markets are apparently straightforward: they connect buyers to sellers. But their operation is complex, depending on places, things, networks and performances. Belief in markets is a cultural and political ideology. They are a means of governance in modern society, linked to individualistic self-responsibility.

But markets also have a darker side. Not everything should be for sale. Markets wield political power; they benefit those who already have resources; they impair collective action; they can be exploitative. As well as asking what markets are for, this book asks who they are for and what needs to change if they are to enable us to thrive in the 21st century.

By: Philip Roscoe (University of St Andrews)
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 127mm,
ISBN: 9781529244175
ISBN 10: 152924417X
Series: What Is It For?
Pages: 178
Publication Date: 30 June 2026
Audience: College/higher education , General/trade , Further / Higher Education , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Who Goes to the Market? 2. Markets, History, and Technology 3. The ‘End of History’ 4. Histories of Accumulation 5. Crisis and the End of an Era 6. Markets and the Law 7. What Should Not Be for Sale? 8. Market Design 9. Civilizing Markets

Philip Roscoe is Professor in Management at the University of St Andrews. His research takes a sociological approach to markets and finance. A former journalist, he was one of the first BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Thinkers. His previous book, How to Build a Stock Exchange, was published by Bristol University Press in 2023.

Reviews for What Are Markets For?

""A 360° tour of markets, like a filmmaker roaming economies with a camera – simple yet deep, detailed without ever losing perspective. A must-read."" Koray Caliskan, The New School “A compelling, lucid rethinking of markets as political, moral, and material arrangements shaping who prospers and who does not. A must-read for all those interested in understanding how our economy works."" Katy Mason, University of Salford ""Politically engaged and engagingly written, this book equips social scientists with the necessary tools for investigating and tinkering with markets."" Paul Langley, Durham University “A compelling, lucid rethinking of markets as political, moral, and material arrangements shaping who prospers and who does not. A must-read for all those interested in understanding how our economy works."" Katy Mason, University of Salford ""What Are Markets For? is a deceptively simple question that starts to unravel as soon as you pull at the strings that make markets and hold them together. This is what Philip Roscoe does in this lively and compelling book."" Bill Maurer, University of California, Irvine ""This book accomplishes an almost impossible feat: sketching the contours of an extremely complex entity – the market – in a highly accessible and entertaining manner."" Susi Geiger, University College Dublin