Free Market Economy

For almost twenty years, the 'Free Market' has been a central feature of public debate in the West, Eastern Europe and elsewhere. In the name of the Market and its supposed benefits, governments and international agencies have imposed massive changes on peoples' lives.Curiously, scholars have paid little attention to the ways that the idea of the Market is invoked, to what it might mean and how it is being used. This book helps correct that state of affairs. Focusing on the United States, where the Market model is strongest, authors analyze portrayals of the Market, its values and the people within it, as a way of teasing out its assumptions and contradictions. They also describe extensions and practical applications of the Market model in policy-making in the United States and in explaining how firms work, show its political strengths and conceptual limitations.In bringing rigor and sustained critical analysis to a topic of growing global significance, this truly interdisciplinary study represents a coherent and incisive contribution to anthropology, sociology, politics, history and economics, as it challenges these disciplines to come to grips with one of the most potent cultural symbols of postmodernity.

In this hard-hitting but measured and carefully reasoned book, Burke contends that the economic marketplace should be completely free from government regulation, except for third-party effects, such as the environment. No Harm illuminates the economic issues with insightful emphasis on the moral dimension. Using the Principle of Mutual Benefit and the Principle of No Harm, both developed in much detail, together with an analysis of the concept of causality, Burke shows it is a requirement of justice that governments allow buyers and sellers the freedom to make whatever agreements they wish, so long as they do not harm others. The most plausible explanation for the economic problems besetting America, is that they stem from essentially the same cause as that which brought about the demise of the Soviet Union: excessive governmental intervention in economic life. The remedy prescribed from that diagnosis would be a completely free market, a laissez-faire economy, freedom of contract. But American opinion makers reject this view because of its ethical implications. No Harm makes the case that market freedom is a requirement of sound ethics. As Fred Miller responded, "Burke offers compelling arguments that the free market is not only more efficient, but is morally superior to central planning and regulation". No Harm fulfills the need to ground the free market economy in ethics and philosophy.

The three dominant forces shaping societies and economies around the world are globalization, privatization, and liberalization. Because these processes are interrelated, they must be addressed collectively. The contributors to the volume show that globalization, privatization, and liberalization are multidimensional phenomena that impact not only the economic considerations of governments, but also the sociocultural and environmental aspects of societies. The three phenomena also affect these units of analysis-- which Rao and his colleagues identify as regional, country, industrial, and organizational. The result is a cogent discussion of these powerful global forces, for the academic community, professionals in economic development, banking, finance, international investment, and global commerce.

The newest work from one of the most preeminent voices writing in the legal/political arena today, this important book presents a new conception of the relationship between free markets and social justice. The work begins with foundations--the appropriate role of existing "preferences," the importance of social norms, the question whether human goods are commensurable, and issues of distributional equity. Continuing with rights, the work shows that markets have only a partial but instrumental role in the protection of rights. The book concludes with a discussion on regulation, developing approaches that would promote both economic and democratic goals, especially in the context of risks to life and health. Free Markets and Social Justice develops seven basic themes during its discussion: the myth of laissez-faire; preference formation and social norms; the contextual character of choice; the importance of fair distribution; the diversity of human goods; how law can shape preferences; and the puzzles of human rationality. As the latest word from an internationally-renowned writer, this work will raise a number of important questions about economic analysis of law in its conventional form.

International marketing consultant Russell Miller takes a close, pragmatic look at the movement to privatization that is sweeping the important markets of Western and Central Europe, Latin America, and Asia, and lays out the business opportunities and challenges that U.S. corporations and others worldwide will find there. He identifies the market dynamics created by newly privatized companies, the problems of reaching them, and the approach strategies that U.S. and other companies would find most productive. An important insight into how corporations here and abroad can gain access to these rich new markets, the book will be essential reading for top management and specialists in marketing, strategic planning, and international business development.

Citing alarming statistics, Jeff Gates convincingly argues that the current economic boom is largely a mirage, buoyed by policies that continue to reward the wealthy and punish the poor. With equal measures of passion and incisive reasoning, he proposes an ambitious yet practical program of financial, political, and economic reform.

Examining the premise that the process of economic liberalization has had a significant impact on the labor markets of many countries, this contributed volume studies that impact in different countries and regions from both theoretical and applied perspectives. While recognizing that liberalization entails many elements, the book focuses on how structural adjustment policies have contributed to the overall development effort. The first four chapters analyze the relationship between economic liberalization and labor markets, and then investigate this relationship within broader regions, such as North-South, transition economies, and Africa. The remaining chapters provide case studies of Greece, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turkey.