One of Polanyi's key theories is a "double movement" that arises out of a trend to push towards free market deregulation of the economy. A spontaneous fictitious backlash occurs in order to protect nature and economic resources from commodification of market units. This idea has been birthed by Polanyi's insight into the changing patterns of markets and their role in respect to social life as the economy becomes more industrialised. Polanyi describes the evolution of markets from the early 1500's and 1600's where markets were largely uncompetitive and isolated to recent globalist markets that are seen as being highly competitive and central to everyday social life. The natures of markets prior to the industrial revolution and the emergence of the capitalist economy where markets in which market prices were determined more by adherence to social, religious and political normative forces than forces of competition in trade (Polanyi; 1994). .
This is called the "just price" in which various social structures and influences regulated market price and counteracted the price from being able to reflect any market values or be determined by any supply and demand forces, rather more reflecting on moral values (Polanyi, 1994). Polanyi states that this is essentially a "ready-made type of transaction" in which the price is essentially already inherently understood and the trade irrefutably occurs between two parties by 'embedded' norms or values ingrained within the economy (Polanyi, 1994). This was in such to safeguard trade so that it was unable to be manipulated with civil society's power to dictate and determine prices on its value merits. The market economy based on morals was theorised by Polanyi as being an uncompetitive market, as it was free from any competitive forces. Polanyi developed his idea to illuminate the warning for society and its natural resources when the competitive forces are allowed to dictate the market prices in the economy.