← the founders library

The Inner Lives of Markets: How People Shape Them—And They Shape Us

Ray Fisman and Tim Sullivan

Book content checked: . What this means

Buy a copy
Amazon USAmazon UKAmazon DE

These are Amazon affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Founder connections

  • Reid HoffmanRecommended — reported by McKinsey
    Listed among his 2016 summer selections; the article supplies no individual review.
    Source

Summary

Fisman and Sullivan examine how markets depend on rules, information and human behavior. Cases involving auctions, used goods and digital trade show that markets are built rather than simply given. They explore how choices about design affect both the people who trade and the wider society.

  • SourceThe Inner Lives of Markets: How People Shape Them—And They Shape Us · Publisher description and Product Details; selected edition

Why read it Our view

Useful for founders who run a marketplace. Ask what each party knows, what it can hide and why it will trust the exchange. Test how fees, access and rules change behavior before assuming that more users alone will produce a healthy market.