The Handbook of Economic Sociology: Second Edition

Description

Copublished in 1994 by Princeton University Press and the Russell Sage Foundation as a synthesis of the burgeoning field of economic sociology. This resource focuses on what continues to be one of the leading edges of sociology and one of its most important interdisciplinary adventures. It is for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates.

Neil J. Smelser was formerly University Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was on faculty from 1958 to 1994, and Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University (1994-2001). He is the coauthor (with Talcott Parsons) of "Economy and Society" and the author of "The Sociology of Economic Life". Richard Swedberg is Professor of Sociology and Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Economy and Society at Cornell University. He is the author of "Principles of Economic Sociology" and "Max Weber and the Idea of Economic Sociology" (both Princeton) and the coeditor of "The Economic Sociology of Capitalism".

From review of Princeton's original edition: "This beautifully produced compendium is an invaluable reference work: Its broad compass, indices by author and subject, and copious bibliographic notes alone will keep it within an arm's reach at the desks of social scientists for years to come."--Samuel Bowles, Contemporary Sociology From review of Princeton's original edition: "This excellent volume is a compilation of some of the best writing in this field over the past decade, including basic works like Oliver Williamson's transaction cost theory of the firm, and [is] a helpful comparison of economic sociology to mainstream economics."--Francis Fukuyama, Foreign Affairs From review of Princeton's original edition: "A unique and invaluable survey of this rapidly developing field of scholarship."--Choice "The 31 articles which make up the Handbook are, without exception, of superb quality, expressing scholarship at its best... The book's range of topics, authoritative articles, and summary of past accomplishments and contemporary research certainly will serve for many years as the crystallizing nucleus of the reincarnated field of economic sociology."--Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics "[O]ne difference between economists and sociologists is in the questions asked. For example, if jobs were relatively homogenous, the economist would ... only be concerned about the total number and the wage level. The sociologist might well be interested in the non-economic explanation of who goes to which job. But ... it is clear that the social aspects can affect outcomes that even the economist is interested in. Anyone wishing to study these important matters will have to start with The Handbook of Economic Sociology."--Times Literary Supplement "[T]here is a great deal of interesting research and theoretical reflection going on under the rubric of economic sociology, and the Handbook is certainly the best available guide to this."--Review of International Political Economy "[This book] confirms the impression that economic sociology is rapidly becoming a powerful force in academic life... It can be strongly recommended for the intrinsic interest of its subject matter and for the individual merit of most of its contributions... Mainstream economists now have some serious competition to face."--Journal of Economic History