The Market as a Basic Economic Institution: the Term, the Structures, and its Effectiveness

In this paper the basic concepts of modern economics concerned with the market, market structures and the effectiveness of market functioning are presented. Definitions of the market were characterized on the basis of theoretical concepts. Classification of the types of market structures was proposed and the preconditions for the improvement of effectiveness of particular brand markets were stated. The market constitutes basic institution of market economy and so the rules of its functioning should be perfected. Historically, economic thought presented the market of agrifood products as an ideal of perfect competition. Currently, due to the processes of concentration on the demand side, agricultural markets function within the structure of imperfect competition (oligopsonistic)