We live in the age of markets. From the ups and downs of the New York Stock Exchange to the time-honored traditions of the Tsukiji tuna market and the disruptive influences of peer-to-peer platforms such as Uber and Amazon, processes of market structural change - the death of old markets and the invention of new ones – and outcomes manifest in market prices are constantly shaping and transforming the lives and well-being of individuals.
This course introduces the competing social scientific approaches devoted to the explanation of market processes and outcomes. It sets out economic, political, sociological, anthropological, legal, historical and philosophical takes on the study of markets. Students will address foundational questions such as: What do we mean by a market? How are markets created and what causes them to change over time? What makes market institutions work? And why do markets vary?