The Market System: What It Is, How It Works, and What to Make of It

In this clear and accessible book, an eminent political scientist offers a jargon-free introduction to the market system for all readers, with or without a background in economics.

"A balanced and novel treatment of a very important set of questions. This is a book of grand scope by an outstanding scholar."―Samuel Bowles, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

"Anyone who wants to know more about the market system’s plusses and minuses, how government can help or hinder its workings, and the direction in which it is likely to move should read this clear, fair, and fascinating book."―Robert Heilbroner, professor emeritus, New School University

"The Market System resplendently assesses the character, rules, advantages, and shortcomings of the central institution coordinating modern economic and social life. Lindblom marshals his incisive intellect, uncommon range, and pellucid prose to clarify, probe, and exhort. The result is an unsurpassed guide."―Ira I. Katznelson, Columbia University

Charles E. Lindblom is Sterling Professor Emeritus of Economics and Political Science at Yale University. His prize-winning books include Inquiry and Change: The Troubled Attempt to Understand and Shape Society, published by Yale University Press, and Politics and Markets: The World’s Political-Economic Systems.