Study On Karl Polanyi’s Market Society Theory In The Perspective Of Transformation

The concept of market, as the foundation of economic theories, has been neglected for a long time and becomes a self-evident subject, which has greatly influenced the recognition of modern society by modrn economics and social sciences. Through the focus and research on market theories, the new economic sociology which is developed during the analysis of modern society and the criticism on traditional economics is gradually breeding an important subdiscipline, i.e. market sociology, and is unceasingly providing valuable nutrient for transformation sociology. As market sociology and transformation sociology are still in their gestation stages, in order to comprehensively and systematically set forth our own market research angle and theory, we have to find inspiration and nutrition from Karl Polanyi, the first writer who has made a special, systematic and in-depth analysis of market economy and market society. Karl Polanyi preliminarily formed a complete conceptual and theoretical system of modern market by the recalling of origins and development of the market economy based on the political and economic situations at that time, and also by the criticism on classical economics during the recalling. Combining the re-criticism of modern economics on Karl Polanyi’s market theory helps us see the significance and shortcomings of the theory more clearly. Especially, the creative statement of longitudinal market mechanism, conflict mechanism as well as internal and external market economy coupling mechanism based on a national basis has preliminarily sketched a modern market profile for us, and preliminarily formed a modern market model that is pursued by market sociology. Whereas the criticism of the new economic theory on lateral market mechanism understanding similar to that on classical economics and the more scientific analysis of modern market dynamics mechanism in Marx’s capital theory are beneficial for the concretization and scientization of this new modern market model. It has great significance for a society advancing its marketization process and forming its consistent ideology.