Karl Polanyi

Trade and Market in the Early Empires

Study of trade and economic organization in ancient and early civilizations

About the author

Karl Polanyi
Karl Polanyi

Polanyi's The Great Transformation argued that the self-regulating market is not natural but a deliberate ideological construction, and that embedding markets in social institutions is essential for human flourishing. It remains one of the most important critiques of laissez-faire economics.

More by Karl Polanyi