Richard Swedberg

Principles of Economic Sociology

Victor Nee

This book represents a major step forward in the use of economic sociology to illuminate the nature and workings of capitalism amid the far-reaching changes of the contemporary era of global capitalism. For the past twenty years economic sociologists have focused on mesa-level phenomena of networks, but they have done relatively little to analyze capitalism as an overall system or to show how such phenomena emerge from and shape the dynamics of capitalism. The Economic Sociology of Capitalism seeks to change this, by presenting both big-picture analyses of capitalism and more focused pieces on institutions crucial to capitalism. The book, which includes sixteen chapters by leading scholars in economic sociology, is organized around three broad themes. The first section addresses core issues and problems in the new study of capitalism; the second considers a variety of topics concerning America, the leading capitalist economy of the world; and the third focuses attention on the question of convergence stemming from the global transformation of capitalism and the challenge of explaining institutional change. The contributions, which follow a foreword by economic historian Avner Greif and the editor's introduction, are by Mitchel Abolafia, James Baron and Michael Hannan, Mary C. Brinton, John Campbell, Gerald Davis and Christopher Marquis, Paul DiMaggio and Joseph Cohen, Peter Evans, Neil Fligstein, John Freeman, Francis Fukuyama, Ko Kuwabara, Victor Nee, Douglass C. North, AnnaLee Saxenian, Richard Swedberg, and Viviana Zelizer.

The Economic Sociology of Capitalism

While most people are familiar with The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, few know that during the last decade of his life Max Weber (1864-1920) also tried to develop a new way of analyzing economic phenomena, which he termed "economic sociology." Indeed, this effort occupies the central place in Weber's thought during the years just before his death. Richard Swedberg here offers a critical presentation and the first major study of this fascinating part of Weber's work. Swedberg furthermore discusses similarities and differences between Weber's economic sociology and present-day thinking on the same topic. In addition, the author shows how economic sociology has recently gained greater credibility as economists and sociologists have begun to collaborate in studying problems of organizations, political structures, social problems, and economic culture more generally. Swedberg's book will be sure to further this new cooperation.

Max Weber and the Idea of Economic Sociology

Joseph A. Schumpeter (1883-1950) is one of the most celebrated authors on the economics and sociology of the twentieth century. Richard Swedberg's new biography provides an engaging and vivid account of Schumpeter's varied life, including his ventures into politics and private banking as well as his academic career. As a backdrop to these, Swedberg also discusses Schumpeter's tragic personal life. This book provides a thorough overview of Schumpeter's writings, and also introduces previously unpublished material based on his letters and interviews. Swedberg emphasizes that Schumpeter saw economics as a form of social investigation, consisting of four fields: economic theory, economic sociology, economic history and statistics. The author describes and analyses Schumpeter's theory of social classes and modern states as well as his more famous theory of the entrepreneur.

His Life and Work

Joseph A. Schumpeter

Economia e sociologia. Conversazioni con Becker, Coleman, Akerlof, White, Granovetter, Williamson, Arrow, Hirschman, Olson, Schelling e Smelser

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59) has long been recognized as a major political and social thinker as well as historian, but his writings also contain a wealth of little-known insights into economic life and its connection to the rest of society. In Tocqueville's Political Economy, Richard Swedberg shows that Tocqueville had a highly original and suggestive approach to economics--one that still has much to teach us today. Through careful readings of Tocqueville's two major books and many of his other writings, Swedberg lays bare Tocqueville's ingenious way of thinking about major economic phenomena. At the center of Democracy in America, Tocqueville produced a magnificent analysis of the emerging entrepreneurial economy that he found during his 1831-32 visit to the United States. More than two decades later, in The Old Regime and the Revolution, Tocqueville made the complementary argument that it was France's blocked economy and society that led to the Revolution of 1789. In between the publication of these great works, Tocqueville also produced many lesser-known writings on such topics as property, consumption, and moral factors in economic life. When examined together, Swedberg argues, these books and other writings constitute an interesting alternative model of economic thinking, as well as a major contribution to political economy that deserves a place in contemporary discussions about the social effects of economics.

Tocqueville's Political Economy

Mark S. Granovetter

In recent years, sociologists have taken up a fruitful examination of institutions such as capital, labor, and product markets; industrial organization; and stock exchanges. Compared to earlier traditions of economic sociology, recent work shows more interest in phenomena usually studied exclusively by economists. At the same time, recent work challenges the adequacy of the neoclassical model. In The Sociology of Economic Life, editors Granovetter and Swedberg incorporate classic and contemporary readings in economic sociology and related disciplines to provide students with a broad understanding of the many dimensions of economic life. A thorough and accessible introduction by the editors traces the history of thought in the field and assesses recent advances and future trends. The third edition is substantially revised and updated with eight new chapters, including original contributions from some of the field's leading scholars that explain cutting-edge research and critically review the essential scholarship in the field.

The Sociology of Economic Life

The last fifteen years have witnessed an explosion in the popularity, creativity, and productiveness of economic sociology, an approach that traces its roots back to Max Weber. This important new text offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of economic sociology. It also advances the field theoretically by highlighting, in one analysis, the crucial economic roles of both interests and social relations. Richard Swedberg describes the field's critical insights into economic life, giving particular attention to the effects of culture on economic phenomena and the ways that economic actions are embedded in social structures. He examines the full range of economic institutions and explicates the relationship of the economy to politics, law, culture, and gender. Swedberg notes that sociologists too often fail to properly emphasize the role that self-interested behavior plays in economic decisions, while economists frequently underestimate the importance of social relations. Thus, he argues that the next major task for economic sociology is to develop a theoretical and empirical understanding of how interests and social relations work in combination to affect economic action. Written by an author whose name is synonymous with economic sociology, this text constitutes a sorely needed advanced synthesis--and a blueprint for the future of this burgeoning field.

In ‚Principles of Economic Sociology’ skizziert Richard Swedberg, einer der Wegbereiter der neuen Wirtschaftssoziologie, die Konturen dieser vielversprechenden, in den 1980er Jahren (wieder) entdeckten Forschungstradition und eröffnet so wertvolle Einsichten in eine Soziologie der Wirtschaft. Das in den USA 2004 erschienene Werk, das nun auch in deutscher Sprache vorliegt, ist der ambitionierte Versuch, die noch junge, soziologische Analyseform auf Augenhöhe mit der neoklassischen Ökonomik, der Spieltheorie und auch der ökonomischen Verhaltensforschung zu positionieren und neue, soziologische Einsichten in das Wirtschaftsgeschehen zu eröffnen. Mit großer Leidenschaft und dem notwendigen Augenmaß führt Richard Swedberg, der exklusive Kenner der soziologischen wie der ökonomischen Tradition, in die Grundlagen des Faches ein (Marx, Weber, Toqueville) und vermittelt einen konzisen Überblick über die aktuellen Ansätze wie das Einbettungskonzept von Mark Granovetter, die Netzwerktheorie von Harrison White, das Rationalprogramm von James S. Coleman und die Feldtheorie von Pierre Bourdieu. Insbesondere aber vermitteln die ‚Grundlagen der Wirtschaftssoziologie’ ein lebendiges Bild von den Anwendungsgebieten: Unternehmen, Märkten, Recht, Kultur, Vertrauen, Konsum, Geschlecht u.a.

Grundlagen der Wirtschaftssoziologie

Neil J. Smelser

The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition is the most comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of economic sociology available. The first edition, copublished in 1994 by Princeton University Press and the Russell Sage Foundation as a synthesis of the burgeoning field of economic sociology, soon established itself as the definitive presentation of the field, and has been widely read, reviewed, and adopted. Since then, the field of economic sociology has continued to grow by leaps and bounds and to move into new theoretical and empirical territory. The second edition, while being as all-embracing in its coverage as the first edition, represents a wholesale revamping. Neil Smelser and Richard Swedberg have kept the main overall framework intact, but nearly two-thirds of the chapters are new or have new authors. As in the first edition, they bring together leading sociologists as well as representatives of other social sciences. But the thirty chapters of this volume incorporate many substantial thematic changes and new lines of research--for example, more focus on international and global concerns, chapters on institutional analysis, the transition from socialist economies, organization and networks, and the economic sociology of the ancient world. The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition is the definitive resource on what continues to be one of the leading edges of sociology and one of its most important interdisciplinary adventures. It is a must read for all faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates doing work in the field. A thoroughly revised and updated version of the most comprehensive treatment of economic sociology available Almost two-thirds of the chapters are new or have new authors Authors include leading sociologists as well as representatives of other social sciences Substantial thematic changes and new lines of research, including more focus on international and global concerns, institutional analysis, the transition from socialist economies, and organization and networks The definitive resource on what continues to be one of the leading edges of sociology and one of its most important interdisciplinary adventures A must read for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates doing work in the field

The Handbook of Economic Sociology

The Evolution of the Work of Georges Gurvitch

Sociology as Disenchantment

Hirokazu Miyazaki

In The Economy of Hope, hope becomes not only a method of knowledge but also an essential framework for the sociocultural analysis of economic phenomena.

The Economy of Hope

"In Tocqueville's Political Economy, Richard Swedburg shows that Alexis de Tocqueville had a highly original and suggestive approach to economics - one that still has much to teach us today." "Through careful readings of Tocqueville's two major books andmany of his other writings, Swedburg lays bare Tocqueville's ingenious way of thinking about major economic phenomena. When examined together, Swedburg argues, these books and other writings constitute an interesting alternative model of economic thinking, as well as a major contribution to political economy that deserves a place in contemporary discussions about the social effects of economics"--BOOK JACKET.

Ola Agevall

Max Weber is one of the worlds most important social scientists, and one of the most notoriously difficult to understand. This dictionary will aid the reader in understanding Webers work. Every entry contains a basic definition, examples of and references to the word in Webers writing, and references to important secondary literature. More than an elementary dictionary, however, this work makes a contribution to the general culture and legacy of Webers work. The dictionary also contains extended entries for broader concepts and topics throughout Webers work, including law, politics, and religion. Every entry in the dictionary delves into Weber scholarship and acts as a point of departure in discussion and research. As such, this book will be an invaluable resource to general readers, students, and scholars alike.

Key Words and Central Concepts

The Max Weber Dictionary

Emil Uddhammar

Hans Lennart Zetterberg

In this, the twentieth volume in the Transaction series honoring distinguished social scientists of the twentieth century, the life and work of the eminent Swedish sociologist, Hans L. Zetterberg is featured. He has had a long and distinguished career in a number of fields including, sociology, publishing, private business and public policy. For many years he was head of the Swedish Institute for Opinion Research, SIFO, and more recently he has been active in the creation of Sweden's only private university, the City University of Stockholm. In this volume the focus is on Zetterberg's activities as a sociologist, and the reader gets an opportunity to become acquainted with the work of one of Sweden's most prominent sociologists. The contributions cover a period of several decades and include several of Zetterberg's classical articles as well as an excerpt from his most famous book, On Theory and Verification in Sociology. Many recent articles can also be found in the volume, and these well testify to the relevance of Hans Zetterberg's work to contemporary issues. This book is an outstanding sampling of Zetterberg. It is must reading for aspiring sociologists. He provides tools for analyzing distinct national cultures. Zetterberg has shown how one person by combining the roles of scholar, pollster, editor and businessman can integrate insights from each to help us understand modernity.

Sociological Endeavor

Joseph Alois Schumpeter

Thorbjørn Knudsen

Markus C. Becker

This book is the first to contain all of Schumpeter's important texts on the entrepreneur and entrepreneurship in English.

Classic Texts by Joseph A. Schumpeter

The Entrepreneur

Since the mid-1980s, as public discourse has focused increasingly on the troubled economy, many social scientists have argued the need for more analysis of the social relationships that undergird economic life. The original essays in Explorations in Economic Sociology represent the most important work in this renewed field and employ a rich variety of research methods—theoretical, ethnographic, and historical—to illustrate its key concerns. Explorations in Economic Sociology forges innovative social theories of such economic institutions as money, markets, and industry. Although traditional economists have identified markets as driven solely by the forces of supply and demand, social factors frequently intervene. Sales at auction are determined not simply by a seller's personal knowledge of customers. Shareholder attitudes and employee organization influence everything from the way firms borrow money to the way corporate performance is measured. Firms themselves operate in social networks in which trust is a crucial factor in settling the terms for cooperation or competition. Throughout the essays in this volume, the contributors point the way to developing a more healthy economy by fostering productive industrial networks, avoiding disintegration at management levels, and anticipating the consequences of the shift from manufacturing to service industries. Explorations in Economic Sociology is a pioneering work that bridges the gap between social theory and economic analysis and demonstrates the importance of this union in achieving an effective understanding of economic issues. The book should stimulate new interest in economic sociology by bringing together many of its most fundamental voices.

Explorations in Economic Sociology

Max Weber is one of the world's most important social scientists, but he is also one of the most notoriously difficult to understand. This revised, updated, and expanded edition of The Max Weber Dictionary reflects up-to-the-moment threads of inquiry and introduces the most recent translations and references. Additionally, the authors include new entries designed to help researchers use Weber's ideas in their own work; they illuminate how Weber himself thought theorizing should occur and how he went about constructing a theory. More than an elementary dictionary, however, this work makes a contribution to the general culture and legacy of Weber's work. In addition to entries on broad topics like religion, law, and the West, the completed German definitive edition of Weber's work (Max Weber Gesamtausgabe) necessitated a wealth of new entries and added information on topics like pragmatism and race and racism. Every entry in the dictionary delves into Weber scholarship and acts as a point of departure for discussion and research. As such, this book will be an invaluable resource to general readers, students, and scholars alike.

Richard Swedberg

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