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A review by harriets_reading
Why Some Things Should Not Be for Sale: The Moral Limits of Markets by Debra Satz
3.0
I approached this book as an economist interested to see what a non-economist had to say. I admit to being a bit sceptical, being used to seeing mainstream media talk about economics from a fairly uninformed viewpoint, but I was quickly persuaded that the author knew what she was talking about. The first three chapters are on the whole very strong, and they raise some very important points about how modern mainstream economics is discussed and taught within the academic discipline.
However I found that in the final part of the book, with chapters on specific markets, I felt that arguments were not always properly supported and most points were the same those a mainstream economist would raise, just in slightly different language.
The author talks about two specific forms of labour markets in these later chapters, while discussing labour markets more generally in the first few chapters. I would have liked to see a deeper analysis of labour markets, since I think they play a significant role in shaping market societies.
On the whole this book covers really important issues and definitely brings something new to the table, but I was left looking for more depth and better supported arguments.
However I found that in the final part of the book, with chapters on specific markets, I felt that arguments were not always properly supported and most points were the same those a mainstream economist would raise, just in slightly different language.
The author talks about two specific forms of labour markets in these later chapters, while discussing labour markets more generally in the first few chapters. I would have liked to see a deeper analysis of labour markets, since I think they play a significant role in shaping market societies.
On the whole this book covers really important issues and definitely brings something new to the table, but I was left looking for more depth and better supported arguments.