Descriptif
The course is an introduction to economic sociology. As a subfield that has grown extraordinarily over the past thirty years, economic sociology has proposed a sociological investigation of economic phenomena. It first seeks to critique the analytical assumptions and epistemology commonly shared within mainstream economics. But it also offers sociologically grounded of economic phenomena. It ultimately searches to formulate alternative accounts of economic behavior and economic processes. Economic sociology therefore claims that rational action hypothesis does not offer accurately represent individual economic actions, not more than perfect competition provides an understanding of concrete market mechanisms.
This course will provide an overview of the broad concerns and approaches in economic sociology, and review the sociological explanations of economic activities. Its organization . A first sequence will be devoted to two basic economic phenomena: exchange and market. It will question markets as naturally “emerging” mechanisms, by shedding light on non-market types of exchange (such as gifts) and on market-building processes. A second sequence will be devoted to four categories of economic actors: States, firms, consumers, and economists.
Students are expected to attend each meeting, and participate actively in class. The final paper will constitute 80% of the grade. Participation in class discussions will add up to the remaining 20% of the grade.
Diplôme(s) concerné(s)
- Energy Environment : Science Technology & Management
- Data Science for Business
- Economics, Data Analytics and Corporate Finance
- Internet of Things : Innovation and Management Program (IoT)
- Smart Cities and Urban Policy
- Ecotechnologies for Sustainability & Environment Management
- Cybersecurity : Threats & Defenses
- Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Visual Computing
Parcours de rattachement
Format des notes
Numérique sur 20Littérale/grade réduitPour les étudiants du diplôme Energy Environment : Science Technology & Management
Le rattrapage est autorisé- Crédits ECTS acquis : 1.5 ECTS
Pour les étudiants du diplôme Smart Cities and Urban Policy
Le rattrapage est autorisé- Crédits ECTS acquis : 1.5 ECTS
Pour les étudiants du diplôme Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Visual Computing
Le rattrapage est autorisé- Crédits ECTS acquis : 1.5 ECTS
Pour les étudiants du diplôme Economics, Data Analytics and Corporate Finance
Le rattrapage est autorisé- Crédits ECTS acquis : 1.5 ECTS
Pour les étudiants du diplôme Data Science for Business
Le rattrapage est autorisé- Crédits ECTS acquis : 1.5 ECTS
Pour les étudiants du diplôme Ecotechnologies for Sustainability & Environment Management
Le rattrapage est autorisé- Crédits ECTS acquis : 1.5 ECTS
Pour les étudiants du diplôme Internet of Things : Innovation and Management Program (IoT)
Le rattrapage est autorisé- Crédits ECTS acquis : 1.5 ECTS
Pour les étudiants du diplôme Cybersecurity : Threats & Defenses
Le rattrapage est autorisé- Crédits ECTS acquis : 1.5 ECTS
Programme détaillé
Course Schedule
Week 1. General Introduction. Basic notions of economic sociology
Week 2. Exchange and Market (1). A Critique of Homo Oeconomicus
Week 3. Exchange and Market (2). The Gift as Economic and Social Exchange
Week 4. Exchange and Market (3). A Sociological Perspective on Markets
Week 5. Exchange and Market (4). Where Does Value Come From?
Week 6. Economic Actors (1). States
Week 7. Economic Actors (2). Firms
Week 8. Economic Actors (3). Consumers
Week 9. Concluding Remarks. The Issue of Uncertainty
Suggested Readings
Jens Beckert, Beyond the Market. The Social Foundations of Economic Efficiency, Princeton University Press, 2002 [orig. ed.: 1997].
Pierre Bourdieu, The Social Structures of the Economy, Polity Press, 2005 [orig. ed.: 2000].
Frank Dobbin (ed.), The New Economic Sociologu: A Reader, Princeton University Press, 2004.
Neil Fligstein, The Architecture of Markets. An Economic Sociology of Twenty-First Capitalist Societies, Princeton University Press, 2001.
Marion Fourcade, Economists and Societies. Discipline and Profession in the United Staes, Britain, & France, 1890s to 1990s, Princeton University Press, 2009.
Lucien Karpik, Valuing the Unique. The Economics of Singularities, Princeton University Press, 2010 [orig. ed.: 2007].
Marcel Mauss, The Gift. The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies, WW Norton, 2000 [orig. ed.: 1923-24].
Donald McKenzie, Fabian Muniesa and Lucia Siu (eds.), Do Economists Make Markets? On the Performativity of Economics, Princeton University Press, 2008.
Neil Smelser and Richard Swedberg (eds), The Handbook of Economic Sociology, 2nd ed., Princeton University Press, 2005.
David Stark, The Sense of Dissonance. Accounts of Worth in Economic Life, Princeton University Press, 2009.
Max Weber, Economy and Society, University of California Press, 2013 [orig. ed.: 1922].
Viviana A. Zelizer, The Social Meaning of Money. Pin Money, Paychecks, Poor Relief and Other Currencies, Basic Books, 1994.