The Military and the Market

The U.S. military has a long history of working closely with market-based institutions and structures, including running systems of free and unfree labor, taking over private sector firms, creating new markets, regulating industries and firms, and becoming more similar to a for-profit corporation. This volume explores the depth and complexity of military-market relations in U.S. history and offers insights for todays military policymakers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 27 September 2022
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Throughout its extensive history, the United States military has maintained a close and intricate relationship with market-based institutions and structures. This relationship has encompassed a range of activities, including the operation of systems of both free and unfree labor, the acquisition and control of private sector firms, and the facilitation and suppression of economic development. Moreover, the military has played a pivotal role in creating new markets, such as those for consumer products, sex work, and innovative technologies. It has served as a regulator of industries and firms, as well as an arbiter of labor practices. In recent decades, the military has even undergone a significant transformation, moving towards a more corporate-like structure and mindset.

The book "The Military and the Market: Two Centuries of Economic Operations" delves into this rich and complex history, drawing upon a wide array of scholarship from the fields of military history, business history, policy history, and the history of capitalism. Comprising nine chapters, the volume offers valuable new insights into various aspects of military-market relations in the United States. These chapters explore topics such as Civil War soldier-entrepreneurs, the business of constructing housing and overseas bases for the Cold War, and the challenges and complexities inherent in the U.S. militarys engagement with markets for sex.

By examining these diverse topics, the book enhances scholars' understanding of the profound and multifaceted nature of military-market relations in American history. It provides contemporary military policymakers with valuable insights into the origins of current arrangements and offers potential avenues for reimagining these relationships in the future.

The contributors to this volume are esteemed scholars from various academic institutions, including the United States Military Academy, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Virginia. Their expertise and perspectives contribute greatly to the richness and depth of the analysis presented in the book.

In conclusion, "The Military and the Market: Two Centuries of Economic Operations" is a groundbreaking work that sheds light on the intricate and multifaceted relationship between the United States military and market-based institutions. By exploring a range of historical topics and offering novel insights, the book enriches our understanding of military-market relations and provides valuable guidance for policymakers in the present and future.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781512823233