Markets provide a mechanism for allocating goods and services, but they don’t always work in a way that participants deem to be consistent with their interests. Take pharmaceutical products, the main topic of this book. Should drugs be allocated to patients according to free market dictates, or instead be guided by some overarching set of social norms such as “need”? Should all drugs be made universally available or only the select few that are “essential” or “life-saving”? Because the answers to such questions are open to debate, the markets for drugs, among other products and services, may become fields of contention, as governments, firms, and consumers all seek to influence patterns of supply, demand, and price.

In fact, recent years have seen an explosion in the number of advocacy campaigns aimed at changing the behavior of multinational corporations. Among other objectives, these campaigns have sought to limit fossil fuel emissions, promote “fair trade,” protect global fisheries, prevent exploitation of workers, and reduce habitat destruction. What these diverse movements have in common is an effort to change the way that markets currently function.