Bazaars of the Thousand and One Nights

Eyup Ozveren

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2007, vol. 14, issue 4, 629-655

Abstract: A re-reading of the Thousand and One Nights in light of economic thought is attempted here. These stories characterize a bazaar economy as the dark side of medieval economics. The process-view of the bazaar is discussed in relation to Smith, Walras and the Austrian School. The tacit notions of 'market price' and 'natural price' are touched upon. Auctions are then elaborated with reference to Bohm-Bawerk. Moreover, the role of asymmetric information as a recurrent theme is interpreted in relation with Akerlof's approach. Finally, the collective function of the tales in fostering confidence in a less-than-well instituted bazaar economy is emphasized.

Keywords: Thousand and One Nights; bazaar economy; market process; auction; asymmetric information (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1080/09672560701695489

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