What Are Markets For?

Author: Roscoe, Philip (University of St Andrews)

Economic systems & structures

Published on 30 June 2026 by Bristol University Press in the United Kingdom as part of 'the What Is It For?' series.

Paperback / softback | 178 pages, 11 Illustrations, black and white
203 x 127

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 and 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.