Victor Pérez-Díaz received his Ph D from Harvard University and is now Professor of Sociology at the Complutense University of Madrid and Director of the ASP Research Center. He has been a visiting professor of government at Harvard University, MIT, University of California at San Diego, the SciencesPo, and New York University. His recent books include The Return Of Civil Society (Harvard, 1993), Spain at the Crossroads (Harvard, 1999), and La Lezione Spagnola (Il Mulino, 2003).

"Markets and Civil Society examines the complex interactions between the economic institutions and the system of voluntary organizations in liberal democracies, as well as the political consequences of these interactions. Overall, this volume is a major addition to the literature on civil society."  ·  Carlos Waisman, University of California, San Diego

• AcknowledgementsEditors PrefaceChapter 1. Introduction: Markets, civil societies and the political spaceVictor Pérez-DíazPART I: MARKETS, CIVIL SOCIETY AND POLITICSChapter 2. Markets as conversations: Markets' contribution to civility, the public sphere and civil society at largeChapter 3. An entrepreneurial theory of social and cultural chanceChapter 4. Civil society elements in European court systems: Towards a comparative analysis and a reference to an economic point of viewChapter 5. Dispute resolution systems and global markets: why arbitration?PART II: CIVIL SOCIETY IN TRANSITIONS TO, AND CONSOLIDATIONS OF, MARKET ECONOMIES AND LIBERAL POLITICSChapter 6. Consumer credit and society in transition countriesChapter 7. The politics of civic combinationsChapter 8. Informal intermediaries and civic organizations in state-business relationships in RussiaChapter 9. Enterpreneurs, consumers and civility: The case of PolandChapter 10. Conclusions and suggestions for further researchNotes on contributorsBibliographyIndex