The New Institutionalism in Sociology
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Author Description
The contributors to this volume explore many questions about the way institutions emerge and operate. How do grassroots mores and practices evolve to an institutional level? How do institutional norms then regulate economic activity, and what are the advantages of formal versus informal constraints? What are the sources of trust and cooperation in trading markets? What role do cultural networks play in the economic survival of immigrant communities? And how do conflict and bargaining affect the evolution of community norms? The New Institutionalism in Sociology also discusses how economic fluctuations arise from interactions between local agents and the institutional environment. Among the topics addressed are the influence of labor activism on the distribution on income, the association between highly competitive "winner-take-all" job markets and increased wage inequality in the United States, and the effect of property right conventions on technical innovation and productivity in pre-industrial England. A final section explores how deeply embedded cultural traditions have colored the transition from state socialism to market economies in Eastern Europe.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This volume investigates the fundamental questions surrounding the emergence, operation, and evolution of social institutions. The contributors examine how informal norms and practices ascend to institutional status, how these norms regulate economic activity, and the comparative advantages of formal versus informal constraints. It delves into the origins of trust and cooperation within trading markets, the influence of cultural networks on immigrant communities, and the impact of conflict and bargaining on community norms.
THE SCOPE MAP
- Exploration of how grassroots mores and practices evolve to an institutional level.
- Analysis of how institutional norms regulate economic activity and the role of formal vs. informal constraints.
- Investigation into the sources of trust and cooperation in trading markets.
- Discussion of the role cultural networks play in the economic survival of immigrant communities.
- Examination of how conflict and bargaining affect the evolution of community norms.
- Analysis of economic fluctuations arising from interactions between local agents and the institutional environment.
- Topics include labor activism's influence on income distribution, wage inequality in winner-take-all job markets, and property rights' effect on innovation.
- Exploration of how cultural traditions have shaped the transition from state socialism to market economies in Eastern Europe.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
The collection addresses key questions in the sociology of institutions, exploring the mechanisms by which norms become established and influence economic behavior. The discussions span diverse contexts, from immigrant communities to post-socialist transitions, highlighting the interplay between culture, economics, and institutional development. The volume appears to offer a comprehensive look at the theoretical and empirical dimensions of new institutionalism in sociology. Its scope suggests it is a valuable resource for scholars and students interested in the foundational aspects of social and economic organization.
Page Count:
332
Publication Date:
1998-01-01
ISBN-10:
0871541394
Politics
Non-Fiction
Economics
Sociology
Social Science
Labor Markets
institutions
