The notion of the market is central to the understanding of globalization processes. This importance is tied to its perceived ability to ‘automatically’ calculate value, and to facilitate relocation and distribution away from local contexts. The ‘market’ thus acts as an icon for capitalist modes of production.

Traditionally, studies of markets have belonged to the field of economics. Recent social science, however, emphasises the construction of markets; working markets are a social, cultural and technological achievement. Of special interest is the manner in which markets are articulated.

Two issues are particularly relevant. The first is political and is linked with how freedom, economic surplus and efficiency are constructed in a market. The second deals with how markets are enacted, through standardization, control and calculation. These articulations are central to globalization processes, because they enable translocal production, distribution and consumption.

The ambition of research in the Global Communication focus area is to substantiate how global communication is deeply embedded in articulations of the market, and how these articulations contribute to the necessary governmental interventions and controls for global markets to work in the first place. We seek studies of governmentality with empirical underpinnings, especially in its interplay with markets in the form of standardization, control and calculation. Empirically, this can be pursued in a number of ways, including but not restricted to: surveys and accounts of competence in companies, standardization of services, branding or commodification of health services.