Posted by: Alex Marshall
Posted by: Alex Marshall
"The “free market” has been a hot topic of debate for decades. Proponents tout it as a cure-all for just about everything that ails modern society, while opponents blame it for the very same ills. But the heated rhetoric obscures one very important, indeed fundamental, fact—markets don’t just run themselves; we create them.Starting from this surprisingly simple, yet often ignored or misunderstood fact, Alex Marshall takes us on a fascinating tour of the fundamentals that shape markets and, through them, our daily economic lives. He debunks the myth of the “free market,” showing how markets could not exist without governments to create the structures through which we assert ownership of property, real and intellectual, and conduct business of all kinds. Marshall also takes a wide-ranging look at many other structures that make markets possible, including physical infrastructure ranging from roads and railroads to water systems and power lines; mental and cultural structures such as common languages and bodies of knowledge; and the international structures that allow goods, services, cash, bytes, and bits to flow freely around the globe.
Sure to stimulate a lively public conversation about the design of markets, this broadly accessible overview of how a market economy is constructed will help us create markets that are fairer, more prosperous, more creative, and more beautiful."
Posted by: Alex Marshall
For the past few years, more than I care to count, I've been working on a book about what like to call The Design of Markets. The way I figure it, the economic markets we typically refer to are not "natural," but are designed, largely by government. This is easiest to see with something like the Patent system, which is obviously designed and set up by government. But it's also true with things like corporations and even basic property rights. I would like to start a more open conversation about this, and thus this book. It will be published by The University of Texas Press, which published my first book, How Cities Work. Now I've just got to finish it . . . . If you have info, views or tips that you think might help, pass them my way. You can reach me by going to the "contact me" page at my website.
Posted by: Alex Marshall
My latest book, "Beneath the Metropolis: The Secret Lives of Cities," was published in late 2006 by Carroll and Graf Publishers. Here's some basic information on it below, and you can find more on Amazon.
Beneath the Metropolis: The Secret Lives of Cities By Alex Marshall
ISBN 0-7867-1864-1 EAN 978-0-7867-1864-1
$29.95 Trade Paper
240pp, 8 1/2 x 11 Carton Qty: 20
Art & Architecture/ Urban & Land Use Planning
ARC010000 Fall 2006 Rights: W Carroll & Graf
Description:
"The pulse of great cities may be most palpable above ground, but it is below the busy streets where we can observe their rich archaeological history and the infrastructure that keeps them running. In The Secret Lives of Cities journalist Alex Marshall investigates how geological features, archaeological remnants of past civilizations, and layered networks transporting water, electricity, and people, have shaped these cities through centuries of political turbulence and advancements in engineering — and how they are determining the course of the cities' future. From the first-century catacombs of Rome, the New York subway system, and the swamps and ancient quays beneath London, to San Francisco's fault lines, the depleted aquifer below Mexico City, and Mao Tse-tung's extensive network of secret tunnels under Beijing, these subterranean environments offer a unique cross-section of a city's history and future. Stunningly illustrated with colorful photographs, drawings, and maps, The Secret Lives of Cities reveals the hidden worlds beneath our feet, and charts the cities' development through centuries of forgotten history, political change, and technological innovation." You can browse or buy it on Amazon.com.
Categories: Architecture