Non-market economics
|
|
Non-market economics is the study of the production, trade, and distribution of goods and services via mechanisms other than the market. Non-market economies do not operate through the exchange of money. Some definitions extend "the market" to include (barter), meaning that the only non-market economies are those that do not use barter or money. This type of exchange is also called reciprocity. This includes unilateral giving such as gifts and bilateral giving, meaning a person gives a gift expecting to be repaid at some unspecified time.
The study of non-market economics is typically a part of economic anthropology. Among the founders of the discipline are Karl Bücher and Karl Polanyi.
In general, non-market systems are considered "primitive" (which is of course pejorative). There are, however, elements of non-market economics in very "advanced" market economies, even today.