Towards a Theory of Markets: Networks, Communication and Knowledge

Abstract

Economists have devoted little attention to the analysis of the market concept, even though the concept is virtually omnipresent in many policy recommendations. If a market economy is to be built in Central and Eastern European countries (cf. Lavigne, 1995), for instance, the task assumes an as yet insufficient degree to which markets were present prior to 1989. Consequently (a) markets have to be built anew or, at least (b) conditions have to be created which induce their development. However both objectives presuppose an understanding of what markets are and how they emerge. This is self-evident as far as (a) is concerned, but it also applies to (b), for the latter assumes the existence of a causal link between the preconditions of markets and their emergence.