ABSTRACT
THE purpose of this book on trade associations is to describe and dissect a very typical and important part of the economic structure. First of all, however, we must make precisely clear what we are describing. It is indicative of the lack of scientific and realistic economic analysis in this matter that there is no agreed and exact vocabulary for dealing with essentially different types of association and combination between economic units. The term " trade association" is used with considerable vagueness, and this vagueness of definition has played its part in sometimes enabling these organisations to conceal their real objects and activities. The term has been applied indiscriminately to three entirely different things, which in fact have very little in common.
