Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE ECN2330

 
TITLE Economic Sociology

 
UM LEVEL 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Economics

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit addresses a wide range of issues related to economic sociology, which can be described as applying the sociological perspective to economic phenomena. For instance: how the social and the economic reciprocally affect one another; the economy in relation to society; the concept of economic action; the dimension of power in economic action; the definition of economic action with regard to the meaning for human action by which economic processes are characterized. New questions that cut across the conventional boundaries between economics and sociology will be raised, thus encouraging students of economics to be willing to explore new and unfamiliar ideas. The analytical starting points are groups, institutions and society, whereby the individual is regarded as a socially-constructed entity.

Study-unit Aims

- To introduce students to theories of economic sociology;
- To develop a broader perspective on economics;
- To critically assess the dialogue and cooperation between the disciplines of economics and sociology in the context of the distinct profile of economic sociology.

Learning Outcomes

1. Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- identify and understand the social implications of economic problems and situations related to institutions, markets, organizations, industries and people;
- analyse critically and broaden the perspective on important economic issues and decisions;
- discern critically the relationship between the social and economic system.

2. Skills:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- acquire familiarity with bibliographical and search tools appropriate for her/his research, study and presentation needs;
- gain the ability to situate her/his particular research interests and disciplines within a wider social science framework;
- enhance her/his critical appraisal and study skills;
- navigate with confidence through online academic resources beyond Google.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings

All readings and books are available c/o lecturer.

Lecture 1
Becker, Gary S. 1993. “Nobel Lecture: The Economic Way of Looking at Behavior.” Pp. 385-409 in Journal of Political Economy, vol. 101, no. 3.
http://faculty.smu.edu/millimet/classes/eco4361/readings/quantity%20section/becker.pdf accessed 1st November 2011.
Gibbons, Robert. 2005. “What Is Economic Sociology and Should Any Economists Care?” Pp. 3-7 in Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 19(1), Winter.
http://web.mit.edu/rgibbons/www/What%20is%20economic%20sociology.pdf accessed 1st November 2011.
Smelser, Neil J. and Richard Swedberg. 2005. “Introducing Economic Sociology.” Pp. 3-25 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Smelser, Neil J. and Richard Swedberg. 2005. “Comparative and Historical Approaches to Economic Sociology.” Pp.26-48 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, eds. N. J. Smelser and R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Swedberg, Richard. 1999. “Max Weber as an economist and as a sociologist – Towards a fuller understanding of Weber’s view of economics.” In The American Journal of Economics and Sociology. October. (FIND ARTICLES IN THE INTERACTIVE BUSINESS NETWORK RESOURCE LIBRARY.) http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0254/is_4_58/ai_58496750/ accessed 1st November 2011.

Lecture 2
Berezin, Mabel. 2005. “Emotions and the Economy. ” Pp.109-127 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, eds. N. J. Smelser and R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Weber, Max. 1930. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/weber/protestant-ethic/index.htm accessed 1st November 2011.

Lecture 3
Fligstein, Neil. 2005. “The Political and Economic Sociology of International Economic Arrangements.” Pp.183-204 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, eds. N. J. Smelser and R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

Lecture 4
Swedberg, Richard. 2003. “Economic and Sociological Approaches to Markets.” Pp. 104-130 in Principles of Economic Sociology. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Fligstein, Neil. 2003. Myths of the Market. Economic Sociology – European Electronic newsletter, Vol. 4, 3 (July). http://econsoc.mpifg.de/archive/esjuly03.pdf accessed 1st November 2011.
Weber, Max. 1991. “The Market.” Pp.75-79 in Essays In Economic Sociology – Max Weber, ed. Richard Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

Lecture 5
Streeck, Wolfgang. 2005. “The Sociology of Labor Markets and Trade Unions.” Pp. 254-283 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition, eds. N. J. Smelser and R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Granovetter, M. 1988. "The Sociological and Economic Approaches to Labor Market Analysis: A Social Structural View". Pp. 187-216 in Industries, Firms and Jobs: Sociological and Economic Approaches, eds. G. Farkas and P. England. New York: Plenum Press. http://sociology.stanford.edu/people/mgranovetter/documents/Farkas-England1988paper.pdf accessed 1st November 2011.

Lecture 6
Granovetter, Mark. 2005. "The Impact of Social Structure on Economic Outcomes." Pp. 33-50 in Journal of Economic Perspectives, 19(1 ) (Winter). http://sociology.stanford.edu/people/mgranovetter/documents/granimpacteconoutcomes_000.pdf accessed 1st November 2011.
Smith-Doerr, L. and W. Powell. 2005. "Networks and Economic Life." Pp. 379-402 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition, eds. N.J. Smelser and R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. http://www.stanford.edu/group/song/papers/NetworksandEconomicLife.pdf accessed 1st November 2011.

Lecture 7
Portes, A. and William Haller. 2005. “The Informal Economy and Its Paradoxes.” Pp. 403-425 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, eds. N. J. Smelser and R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Cross, John C. 2000. “Street vendors, modernity and postmodernity: Conflict and compromise in the global economy.” Pp 29-51 in The International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy; 20, 1/2; ProQuest.
http://www.spacesofmigration.org/wpcontent/uploads/2011/01/cross_street-vendors_modernity.pdf accessed 1st November 2011.

Lecture 8
Granovetter, Mark. 2005. "Business Groups and Social Organization." Pp. 429-450 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition, eds. N.J. Smelser and R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Weber, Max. 1999. “The Beginnings of the Firm.” Pp. 80-82 in Essays In Economic Sociology – Max Weber ed. R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

Lecture 9
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1986. “The forms of capital.” Pp. 241-258 in Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education, ed. J. Richardson. New York:Greenwood. http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/fr/bourdieu-forms-capital.htm accessed 1st November 2011.
Zelizer, Viviana. 2005. “Culture and Consumption.” Pp. 331-354 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition, eds. N.J. Smelser and R. Swedberg . Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Swedberg, Richard. 2003. “Culture, Trust and Consumption.” Pp. 241-258 in Principles in Economic Sociology. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

Lecture 10
Carruthers, Bruce G. 2005. “The Sociology of Money and Credit.” Pp. 355-378 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition, eds. N.J. Smelser and R. Swedberg . Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Deflem, Mathieu. 2003. “The Sociology of the Sociology of Money: Simmel and the Contemporary Battle of the Classics.” Pp. 67-96 in Journal of Classical Sociology.3(1). http://www.cas.sc.edu/socy/faculty/deflem/zsimmon.pdf accessed 1st November 2011.

Lecture 11
Block, Fred and Peter Evans. 2005. “The State and the Economy.” Pp. 505-526 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition, eds. N.J. Smelser and R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Swedberg, Richard. 2003. “Politics and the Economy.” Pp. 158-188 in Principles of Economic Sociology. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Swedberg, Richard. 1998. “The Economy and Politics.” Pp. 54-81 in Max Weber and the Idea of Economic Sociology. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

Lecture 12
Edelman, Lauren B. and Robin Stryker. 2005. “A Sociological Approach to Law and the Economy.” Pp. 527-551 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition, eds. N.J. Smelser and R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Swedberg, Richard. 2003. “Law and the economy.” Pp. 189-217 in Principles of Economic Sociology. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Weber, Max. 1999. “The Rational State and its Legal System.” Pp. 116-119 in Max Weber - Essays in Economic Sociology, ed. R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

Lecture 13
Brinton, Mary C. 2005. “Education and the Economy.” Pp. 575-602 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition, eds. N.J. Smelser and R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/soc/faculty/brinton/pdfs/Brinton_EducationAndEconomy.pdf accessed 1st November 2011.
Hanushek, Eric A. and Ludger Wößmann. 2008. “Education and Economic Growth.” Chapter prepared for the International Encyclopedia of Education, 3rd Ed.
http://edpro.stanford.edu/hanushek/admin/pages/files/uploads/hanushek_woessmann%20%2020010%20international%20encyclopedia.pdf accessed 1st November 2011.

Lecture 14
England, Paula and Nancy Folbre. 2005. “Gender and Economic Sociology.” in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition, eds. N.J. Smelser and R. Swedberg. Princeton NJ: Princeton University
Swedberg, Richard. 2003. “Gender and the Economy.” Pp. 259-282 in Principles of Economic Sociology. Princeton NJ. Princeton University Press.
Ridgeway, Cecilia and Shelley Correll. 2004. “Motherhood as a Status Characteristic.” Pp. 683-700 in Journal of Social Issues, vol. 60 (4), December.

Additional reading

Akerlof, George A. And Robert J. Schiller . 2009. Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why It Matters for Global Capitalism. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Becker, Gary S. 1990. Economic Approach to Human Behaviour. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Carruthers, Bruce G., and Sarah L. Babb. 2000. Economy/Society: Markets, Meanings and Social Structure. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
Smelser, Neil J, and Richard Swedberg. 2005. The Handbook of Economic Sociology. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Swedberg, Richard. 2007. Principles of Economic Sociology. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Examination (2 Hours) Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S

 

 
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It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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