The Value of Time Spent in Home Production

Abstract . For a variety of reasons the monetary value of time spent in home production, expecially by housewives, is of interest to lawyers, economists, sociologists and various other groups in society. By convention, economists value this time on the basis of the wage paid to a hired replacement. The model developed in this paper shows that this approach requires general assumptions concerning the nature of work and home production which are unduly restrictive and frequently contrary to observation. As a result, the conventional methodology cannot be adapted to individual circumstances and consequently yields misleading results. By contrast, the methodology suggested here can be applied on a case by case basis.     

The Time Horizon of Planned Social Change: I. Why Utopian Movements Always Promise Amelioration in the Future

Abstract . Why have worthy social reforms in general, and Henry George's 100-year-old proposal to end land speculation and land monopoly, in particular, taken so long to win acceptance? The sociology of knowledge, framed by Mannheim and others, offers fresh insight into the question. The newer concepts of time horizon and its variants-time frame and temporal calibration-examined by Edward Banfield, Paul Fraisse and others, take it further. Seen and discussed by Locke, Hobbes and Hume without being given names, the new concepts have only recently been singled out for closer study. Time horizon, as a human variable, clarifies why Utopian ideas are originally acceptable to few, and isolates factors that determine the rate at which those ideas become realistic. Thus it helps establish how best to speed that transition.     

Franz Oppenheimer's (1864–1943) Social Economic Approach to Health

The idea of scholarly synthesis was central to the founders of the American Journal of Economics and Sociology. Franz Oppenheimer (1864–1943) in fact impersonated the idea of scholarly synthesis. Being the son of a Reformist rabbi—these religious roots provided the impulse for his work—he started out as a physician in the industrial suburbs of Berlin; his diagnosis was that he faced social and not medical disease, which consequently brought him to the study of economics. But unlike many mainstream economists today, he insisted on the necessary cooperation between economists and sociologists, ideally in one person. His chair in Frankfurt, showing his own handwriting, was denominated for economic theory and sociology. In this article, I show his contributions with respect to economic aspects of health. These are not well known. Part of the reason is that the field of health economics as it is taught now is very narrow. Therefore, Oppenheimer's health economic contributions tend to be overlooked.     

THE SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH TO FINANCIAL MARKETS

Abstract.  As a part of the renaissance and growth of economic sociology during the past two decades, and in response to processes such as economic globalization, financial markets have been increasingly scrutinized by sociologists. Their investigation is seen as relevant with respect to understanding the structure and dynamics of advanced societies, the dynamics of social development, as well as fundamental aspects of human behaviour. This paper charts recent developments in the sociology of financial markets; its starting point is the treatment of the concept of information within three sociological orientations: the social-structural approach, sociological neo-institutionalism and the newer social studies of finance. By highlighting their different assumptions about information and market behaviour, I discuss how these approaches conceptualize financial markets, the methodological implications and the ways in which they contribute to the study of financial exchanges.     

La dimension internationale des politiques urbaines dans le Tiers Monde

Urban policics in dweloping countries are subject to both internal and external determinants. As elsrwhere, internal determinants, social relations and conflicts evolve over urbun space. external determinants are not only related to the general mechanisms of dependency, but also to specific modes of intervention by European and North American countries: such as consultancy firms producing urban studies and plans, lateral cooperative organisms, international institutions, suppliers of key materials for urbanization (cars. buses, pipes), training centres for planners and other technicians, etc. All urban policies in the Third World have this international dimension. It has been said that urban sociology has become the sociology of urban policies. In this case, urban sociology of the Third World has become that of the sociology of urban po1icies in their international dimensions, and it can only be done by examining each end of the chain, each side of the system of relations. Neither side can be studied without the. other in understanding and analysing the phenomenon which links them. The urban sociology of the Third World could provide the opportunity to reconsider from new points or departure, the relations between European or North American roeiologists on the anc hand, and Latin American or African sociologists on the other.     

Social Power and Power Over Space: How the Bourgeoisie Reproduces itself in the City

Urban sociology has long ignored districts of wealth and privilege in cities because they harbor few ‘social problems’ and the class background of sociologists has not inclined them to venture there. In France after 1968, the continued attraction of Marxism and the sulfurous reputation of sociology conspired to make such investigation difficult. Pierre Bourdieu pioneered it with his landmark book on the bourgeoisie, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. This essay reports on two decades of research extending Bourdieu's model of social space to study the territories and strategies of the French high bourgeoisie and aristocracy. The dominant class lives in reserved upscale districts and this seclusion, resulting from the elective spatial aggregation of familial dynasties, is a fundamental characteristic of the group. Segregative isolation is strengthened by specific institutions, such as society balls and social clubs, entrusted with effecting class closure and perpetuation. But, in the greater Paris region, the best districts also attract businesses (corporate headquarters, luxury firms), and thus employment that prompts the established bourgeoisie to migrate westwards in an endless search for social exclusivity. In addition to their Paris homes, upper‐class dynasties possess family properties (a castle or a large manor house) in the provincial hinterland that serve as a basis for paternalistic forms of sociability, linking them to the local lower class via such institutions as riding to hounds. Spaces reserved by and for the high bourgeoisie are major vectors of social reproduction and, along with family and elite schools, help to train heirs suited to safeguarding and valorizing their inherited assets.     

Social Networks and Economic Sociology

A bstract The social network metaphor is widely used by sociologists to study socioeconomic behavior and processes The use of social networks generally takes place within the ranks of sociology However, a more complete social science would result by combining work being done on social networks within sociology with mainline economic theory The insights from such a research agenda will help us better understand socioeconomic behavior With this in mind, the main objective of this paper is to demonstrate the utility of the network metaphor to economists This objective will be accomplished through developing four basic components of social networks, and using them to navigate through the existing literature in economic sociology Furthermore, topics for future research in which social networks can provide contributions to the explanation of socioeconomic behavior are explored as well     

The Changing View of Property Rights in Natural Resources Management

Abstract . The social, demographic, technological, and ecological circumstances in the United States have changed since its beginning. Society's view of property rights—i.e., the way resources are to be used—has evolved accordingly. Resource owners’virtually unrestricted right to use their property as they wished disappeared along with the western frontier, pristine wilderness, and abundant natural resources. There is now a strong commitment to preserve what little nature and resource are left. To overcome the problem of abuse or destruction of nature, it is necessary to recognize, first and foremost, that the problem has become institutionalized over the years and, secondly, that humans and natural objects are interdependent and are of roughly equal importance in the biotic community. Protection of nature against abuse therefore requires that nature be granted legal rights on moral grounds, that consequently human decisions and actions must take into consideration their impacts on nature, and that defenders of nature be able to raise its rights in its own name in any administrative or legal dispute.     

The social contract of work: Moving beyond the psychological contract

This paper develops the critique of psychologisation by going narrow and deep into the analysis of the concept of the psychological contract. In its early incarnation, the psychological contract literature explored key elements at the heart of the employment relationship. However, in the current mainstream psychological contract literature, there are four key problems. The paper shows that these problems match on to the wider problems associated with pyschologisation. The concept of the social contract of work is put forward as a way to return productively to the original focus of the field. The social contract of work is defined as workers' implicit, collective, and socially embedded understanding of the effort bargain at work.     

Voluntary Assurance of Voluntary CSR Disclosure

We study a firm's decisions to engage in socially responsible activities, voluntarily report on them, and purchase external assurance of the report. In our signaling model, neither firm type nor the level of activity is observed. We show that if voluntary assurance is not too expensive, the firm that engages in more socially responsible activities purchases external assurance and thus “selects” a separating equilibrium. As a result, CSR reports can be used to infer the level of activity and this causes all firms to engage in more socially responsible activity. Further, when voluntary assurance is required to support a separating equilibrium, greater monitoring by social activists increases the chosen quality of voluntary assurance—voluntary assurance and monitoring by social activists are complements, not substitutes.     

Social Efficiency of Entry with Market Leaders

We offer a new perspective to the social efficiency of entry by considering an industry with a quantity‐setting leader and free entry of followers. We show that entry with homogeneous products can be socially insufficient instead of excessive. In a closed economy, entry is always socially insufficient in the absence of scale economies, and it is socially insufficient in the presence of scale economies if the marginal cost difference between the leader and the followers is large. In an open economy with the foreign leader, entry is always socially insufficient. Thus, we show that entry regulation may not be justified in oligopolistic industries with market leaders.     

Economic Sociology

A bstract . Economic sociology covers the gray area between the disciplines of economics and sociology brings scholars from both disciplines together to communicate over topics of interest. This communication provides debate that stimulates and strengthens social theory , which in turn, allows for better policy recommendations. A major area for concern in the development of economic sociology has been the presence of economic imperialism combined with economic bubris , the effects of which could suffocate economic sociology. These phenomena arc examined along with the trends over the past twenty years in the development of economic sociology and the relative impact that "economic sociologists" from both disciplines are having on their respective fields. Observing these trends will allow for an analysis of the developments in economic sociology and a assessment of where It is going in the future.     

Toward an Integrated Theory of Social Stratification

In the discipline of sociology, Marx, Durkheim, and Weber represent “classical” approaches to the study of stratification, from one or another of which most modern theory derives. In economics, Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class represents an under‐utilized alternative to Marxian class analysis. The argument advanced in this article is that a close reading of the introductory chapter to Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class provides a useful framework for productive integration of the diverse traditions of stratification theory and class analysis descending in sociological thought from Marx, Durkheim, and Weber.     

Public–private partnership in Public Administration discipline: a literature review

Public–private partnerships (PPPs) have become popular tools to deliver infrastructure and public services around the world. As an innovative public procurement approach, PPPs have drawn considerable attention from academic circles. In order to enhance our knowledge of PPPs, the authors conducted a systematic literature review of articles published in international journals of the Public Administration (PA) discipline. Four main topics in this discipline are identified by means of social network analysis, including PPP concept, risk sharing amongst PPP participants, the drivers of PPP adoption, and PPP performance. Seven propositions about the four topics are summarized. Directions for future research are also considered.     

Policy and Planning Programs as Goals of Scientific Work: interdisciplinary Training for Social Planning as a Case Study in Applied Social Science

Abstract . Policy and planning have now become the field of a new profession—actually a series of professions—in and out of academic life as each of the specialized social and behavioral sciences is applied to the problems of society by some of its professional practitioners. Specialism, however, tends to make of problems in real life constructs that fit within the borders of one's specialty, constructs which have little relation to reality. To transcend specialism's limitations without prejudice to specialization, interdisciplinary training is proposed and worked out for a single area, social policy and social planning.     

The Sociology of Knowledge as a Tool for Research Into the History of Economic Thought

A bstract . Hill and Rouse's formulation of Mannheim's framework for the sociology of knowledge as a means of examining the history of economic thought is rejected although it is held that they render an important service to economics by arguing the need for employment of the sociology of knowledge as a research tool. They have not appropriated Mannheim's categories authentically and they apply them in an overly simplified and undialectical manner. Even Mannheim's authentic formulation of the sociology of knowledge suffered limitations which more recent work enables us to overcome. What is believed to be a superior sociology of knowledge framework for investigating the evolution of economic thought is constructed by joining the Berger-Luckmann model of legitimation with Habermas's philosophical anthropology. Increasingly economists are recognizing that their discipline is in a state of crisis. The crucial issue is how we can better understand the sociological nature of economic thought—its social functioning—to enable us to formulate our own economic theory so as to maximize human welfare.     

Book review essay

Book reviewed in this article: Capitalism and countryside: rural sociology as political economy: Newby, H. 1977: The deferential worker — a study of farm workers in East Anglia. Capitalism and countryside: rural sociology as political economy: Newby, H., Bell, C., Rose, D. and Saunders, P. 1978: Property, paternalism and power — class and control in rural England. Capitalism and countryside: rural sociology as political economy: Newby, H. 1980: Green and pleasant land? — social change in rural England.     

‘It Was Such a Handy Term’: Management Fashions and Pragmatic Ambiguity*

abstract This article builds on constructs that authors have labelled strategic ambiguity, interpretative viability, umbrella constructs, and boundary objects, and suggests that these constructs all articulate a central concern for collective action and the role of ambiguity therein. It characterizes as pragmatic ambiguity the condition of admitting more than one course of action, and elucidates and operationalizes this new construct. Drawing on the sociology of translation ( Callon, 1986 ; Latour, 1987 ), ^[1] it argues that pragmatic ambiguity is both the result and the resource of a collective process of intéressement occurring during the rise in popularity of a new management approach. Following Benders and van Veen (2001 ), the article posits that pragmatic ambiguity increases during the rise of a management fashion. It provides empirical evidence in support of this claim by means of a longitudinal analysis of quality management (QM) concepts as articulated by several authors both before and during the Quality Movement of the 1980s and 1990s. The analyses of QM texts show that concepts became vaguer, more ambiguous, and more general as the Quality Movement gained momentum, suggesting the presence of a positive feedback loop between pragmatic ambiguity and popularity. In addition, the data illustrate how pragmatic ambiguity was achieved and sustained textually, and how it was supported by a variety of social, linguistic and rhetorical factors.     

Shorter reviews

Danzinger, Sheldon and Gottschalk, Peter America unequal Dandaneau, Steven P. A town abandoned: Flint, Michigan, confront deindustrialization Hannigan, John Environmental sociology, a social constructionist perspective Harrison, Malcolm L. Housing ‘race’, social policy and empowerment