The Wealth of Networks and Non-markets


I've just started reading Yochai Benkler's book, The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom online, although I will probably pick up a printed copy at some stage.

It's fascinating so far but I was immediately confused by Benkler's frequent use of the term "non-market" which, in context, seems to suggest he has a much narrower sense of what the "market" is than I've come across before.

For example, consider the following quote (from the first chapter summary on the book's wiki):

Freedom and justice is best achieved through a combination of market action and private, voluntary (thought not necessarily charitable) nonmarket action. The state in this theory is a relatively suspect actor.

I'm not sure what he means by "market" if private, voluntary action is "nonmarket".

The original post was in the categories: economics books but I'm still in the process of migrating categories over.

The original post had 3 comments I'm in the process of migrating over.