Modern-day markets do not arise spontaneously or evolve naturally. Rather they are crafted by individuals, firms, and most of all, by governments. Like statecraft, "marketcraft" represents a core function of government, and it requires considerable artistry to govern markets effectively. In Marketcraft, Steven K. Vogel builds his argument upon the recognition that all markets are crafted and then systematically explores the implications for analysis and policy. Vogel marshals a wide range of policy examples to support this concept, focusing in particular on the U.S. and Japan. He examines how the U.S., the "freest" market economy, is actually among the most heavily regulated advanced economies, while Japan's effort to liberalize its economy in the 1990s counterintuitively expanded the government's role in practice. In our era--and despite what anti-government ideologues contend--government officials, regardless of party affiliation, should be trained in marketcraft just as much as in statecraft.

Marketcraft argues that markets do not arise spontaneously but rather are crafted by individuals, firms, and most of all by governments. Thus "marketcraft" represents a core function of government comparable to statecraft. Vogel systematically reviews the implications of this argument, critiquing prevalent schools of thought and presenting innovative lessons for policy.

Building on decades of comparative research into advanced industrial societies, Vogel lays out in impressive detail the myriad ways in which governments, private sector institutions, social practices, and cultural norms construct and shape markets. It makes little sense to ask whether a market is free or regulated. The important questions are who governs a market, how, and for what ends." - Washington Monthly