The main characteristic of new economic sociology, which has been mor and more prestiged in the USA and Europe recently, is to study markets as social constructions rather than as abstract balance mechanisms. Far from opposing to economic science procedures, this trend is shared by some of its most influential exponents. It is true that contemporary economics corresponds to the widely believed reputation that it is a grey and mechanical science, unable to incorporate ethical principles to its basis. However, an important part of economics is geared towards the study of concrete ways of social interaction, and questions the merelyselfish and maximizing motivations axiomatically postulated by the neoclassical tradition. Among these currents new institutional economics stands out. Its issues are the object of new economic sociology. In spite of their different approaches, both contribute to prevent markets from being faced as magical solutions to all social problems or as demonized ways of interaction which human emancipation will eventually do away it.
New economic sociology; New institutional economics; Social interaction; Markets; Interdisciplinarity