The nature of the currently emerging European society, which includes the economic and social transformation of Eastern and Central European countries, has been hotly debated. At its center is the relationship between markets and civil society within political and social contexts. The contributors to this volume offer perspectives from various disciplines (the social sciences, conceptual history, law, economics) and from several European countries in order to explore the ways in which markets influence various forms of civil society, such as individual freedom, social cohesion, economic effectiveness and democratic governance, and influence the construction of a civil society in a broader sense.

Victor Pérez-Díaz received his Ph D from Harvard University and is now Professor of Sociology at the Complutense University of Madrid and Director of the ASP Research Center. He has been a visiting professor of government at Harvard University, MIT, University of California at San Diego, the SciencesPo, and New York University. His recent books include The Return Of Civil Society (Harvard, 1993), Spain at the Crossroads (Harvard, 1999), and La Lezione Spagnola (Il Mulino, 2003).

Acknowledgements
Editors Preface

Chapter 1. Introduction: Markets, civil societies and the political space
Victor Pérez-Díaz

PART I: MARKETS, CIVIL SOCIETY AND POLITICS

Chapter 2. Markets as conversations: Markets' contribution to civility, the public sphere and civil society at large
Chapter 3. An entrepreneurial theory of social and cultural chance
Chapter 4. Civil society elements in European court systems: Towards a comparative analysis and a reference to an economic point of view
Chapter 5. Dispute resolution systems and global markets: why arbitration?

PART II: CIVIL SOCIETY IN TRANSITIONS TO, AND CONSOLIDATIONS OF, MARKET ECONOMIES AND LIBERAL POLITICS

Chapter 6. Consumer credit and society in transition countries
Chapter 7. The politics of civic combinations
Chapter 8. Informal intermediaries and civic organizations in state-business relationships in Russia
Chapter 9. Enterpreneurs, consumers and civility: The case of Poland
Chapter 10. Conclusions and suggestions for further research

Notes on contributors
Bibliography
Index