ABSTRACT
In academic debates and in everyday life, demand is usually treated as something that simply exists, and as something that explains and also underpins trends in what people consume. Despite repeated reference to this term not only in economics, but also in studies of consumption, policy, innovation and technology, the concept of demand often escapes detailed and critical attention. This chapter makes the case for a more searching account of the historical trajectories, social institutions, infrastructures and practices on which demand depends. Building on these ideas we introduce five propositions around which the rest of the book is built. These are that demand is derived from practices; that it is made and not simply met; that it is materially embedded and temporally unfolding, and that it is modified through many forms of policy and governance. The following chapters work through these themes, focusing throughout on examples relating to the demand for energy and mobility.
