La liberté du commerce : le marché des grains

Philippe Steiner : Free trade and the grain market This article studies the way in which during the 18th Century French economics developed the theoretical arguments necessary to defend free trade ; the two important arguments concern the self-regulatory working of the market and the interdependence between different markets. But these arguments were resisted, in particular when it came to freeing the grain market. The questions which arose particularly in the debate between Turgot and Necker concern the arguments used in the second half of the century about this particular market and how competition could work in this special case. These questions allow us to emphasize the importance of institutional conditions, defined widely. This last point is studied in detail through an analysis of the problem posed by the reputation of merchants.Steiner Philippe. La liberté du commerce : le marché des grains. In: Dix-huitième Siècle, n°26, 1994. Economie et politique. pp. 201-219