Essays in Economic Sociology or Contracting Out Government Services

Essays in Economic Sociology

Author: Max Weber

The writings of Max Weber (1864-1920) contain one of the most fascinating and sophisticated attempts ever made to create an economic sociology. Economic sociologist and Weber scholar Richard Swedberg has selected the most important of Weber's enormous body of writings on the topic, making these available for the first time in a single volume. The central themes around which the anthology is organized are modern capitalism and its relationships to politics, to law, and to culture and religion; a special section is devoted to theoretical aspects of economic sociology. Swedberg provides a valuable introduction illuminating biographical and intellectual dimensions of Weber's work in economic sociology, as well as a glossary defining key concepts in Weber's work in the field and a bibliographical guide to this corpus.

Weber's substantive views on economic sociology are represented in this volume through crucial excerpts from works such as his General Economic History and The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, but the reader can follow his attempt to construct a conceptual foundation for economic sociology in Economy and Society as well. Also included is Weber's celebrated inaugural lecture, "The Freiburg Address," along with a number of central but hitherto inaccessible writings. Though written nearly a century ago, Weber's work has the quality of a true classic, and the reader will find many ideas in his writings on economic topics that remain applicable in today's world. These include Weber's discussion of what is now called social capital, his analysis of the institutions needed for a well-functioning capitalist economy, and his more generalattempt to introduce social structure into economic analysis. As this volume demonstrates, what basically motivated Weber to work with economic sociology was a realization shared by many economists and sociologists today: that the analysis of economic phenomena must include an understanding of the social dimension. Guided by volume editor Swedberg, the reader of this anthology discovers the significance and the enduring relevance of Weber's contribution to economic sociology.

What People Are Saying

Paul Dimaggio
This is an excellent time for a collection of Weber's work on economic sociology, and Richard Swedberg is the person to do it.

Mark Perlman
Swedberg offers a comprehensive introduction to a neglected economic classic. This book will be of interest to intellectual historians, to sociologists, and to philosophers of science.

Table of Contents:

	Note on the Texts of the Readings
	Introduction	3
Pt. I	Modern Capitalism	41
1	Modern Capitalism: Key Characteristics and Key Institutions	43
2	The Spirit of Capitalism	52
3	The Market	75
4	The Beginnings of the Firm	80
5	Class, Status, and Party	83
Pt. II	Capitalism, Law, and Politics	97
6	The Three Types of Legitimate Domination	99
7	The Bureaucratization of Politics and the Economy	109
8	The Rational State and Its Legal System	116
9	The National State and Economic Policy (Freiburg Address)	120
10	The Social Causes of the Decay of Ancient Civilization	138
Pt. III	Capitalism, Culture, and Religion	155
11	The Evolution of the Capitalist Spirit	157
12	The Protestant Sects and the Spirit of Capitalism	168
13	Kinship and Capitalism in China	179
14	The Caste System in India	185
15	Charity in Ancient Palestine	189
Pt. IV	Theoretical Aspects of Economic Sociology	197
16	Sociological Categories of Economic Action	199
17	The Area of Economics, Economic Theory, and the Ideal Type	242
18	Marginal Utility Analysis and "The Fundamental Law of Psychophysics"	249
	Glossary: Key Concepts in Weber's Sociology	261
	A Bibliographical Guide to Weber's Economic Sociology	287
	Index	303

Book review: Lever House Cookbook or California Farm Cookbook

Contracting Out Government Services

Author: Paul Seidenstat

Privatization of government services in the United States has accelerated in the last two decades, especially at the state and local levels. This work focuses on contracting out--the most widely used method of privatization. Contributors from academia, consulting firms, government agencies, and private providers discuss the why and how of contracting out and examine the results of contracted services, including quality and cost measures of performance. Some chapters apply economic theory to contracting out. Others examine recent case studies of contracting out initiatives. The book points out the pluses and minuses of contracting out and points to the lessons to be learned from the recent history of this privatization technique.

Booknews

Focusing primarily on the state and local levels, 17 essays by economists, political scientists, and business planners explore one aspect of government privatization in the United States. The theory, application, and problems of contracting services are explored. A significant portion of the essays look at contracting out criminal justice services. The essays, as a whole, find that a primary motivation for contracting is cost reduction and that while often that goal is achieved, accountability and service quality remain problem areas. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Democracy in Japan or Managing Information and Knowledge in the Public Sector

Democracy in Japan

Author: Ellis S Krauss

Following World War II, the American Occupation created Western style democratic institutions in Japan and sought to develop a society and culture that would support a democratic political system. Now, after four decades, the successes and failures of Japanese democracy can be assessed. How equal are Japan’s citizens? To what extent are their views represented in the legislature? How does Japan handle dissent and protest? How stable is its democracy?



In closely related and readable essays, thirteen leading experts consider three main components of democracy in Japan - political, social, and economic. The editors’ introduction provides historical background, making this book accessible and valuable for students, the general reader interested in Japan, as well as the specialist.

Interesting book: The Rise of Modern Business in Great Britain the United States and Japan Second Edition Revised and Updated or Professional Communication Series

Managing Information and Knowledge in the Public Sector

Author: Eileen M Milner

For the public sector, which is globally the largest employer of people and repository of information, managing information and knowledge is an extremely problematic area to address. The essence of both resources is that they are intangible, their impact and value cannot be measured through traditional accounting methods, yet they are also, paradoxically, where the greatest value and potential for improvement is located.

Table of Contents:

	Preface
	Acknowledgements
1	Introduction: defining information and knowledge	1
2	Developing an information policy and strategy: the foundations of information management	18
3	Information management strategy in action: making a 'business' case	40
4	Knowledge management	65
5	Managing information, ideas and solutions: a focus on the employee	84
6	ICTs as tools of IKM	103
7	Tension and paradox: issues of information security, ownership, access, liability and openness	125
8	IKM as a tool of social inclusion	145
9	Vision and revision: the case for IKM in the public sector	164
	Bibliography	182
	Index	189

Individual Differences and Behavior in Organizations or Entrepreneurship in Micro Enterprises

Individual Differences and Behavior in Organizations

Author: Kevin R Murphy

Fascinating insights into what influences behavior on the job. Here, leading psychologists examine the entire spectrum of individual differences and show how they affect personality, vocational interests, job performance, and work dysfunctions. Cutting-edge theory and research no manager should miss.

Table of Contents:

	Foreword
	Preface
	The Authors
1	Individual Differences and Behavior in Organizations: Much More Than g	3
2	Personality Traits, Taxonomies, and Applications in Organizations	31
3	Vocational Interests: Matching Self-Concept with the Work Environment	89
4	Trait and State Affect	145
5	Orientation Toward the Job and Organization	175
6	Work Motivation and Goal Striving	209
7	The Substantive Nature of Job Performance Variability	258
8	Adapting to Roles in Decision-Making Teams	300
9	Interpersonal Relations in Organizations	334
10	Work Dysfunctions and Mental Disorders	371
11	Perceptions of Organizational Climate	416
12	Leaving the Organization	451
13	Learning About Individual Differences by Taking Situations Seriously	507
14	When Individual Differences Aren't	548
	Name Index	573
	Subject Index	595

Read also Fast and Fabulous or Are You Hungry Dear

Entrepreneurship in Micro-Enterprises: A Strategic Analysis of Manufacturing Industries in Kenya: Textiles, Woodwork, and Metalwork

Author: Kenneth R Gray

This timely and important work studies Kenya's small scale manufacturers. What makes the book unique is Gray's sub-sector approach, which focuses on the particular industries of tailoring, woodwork and metalwork. Gray investigates the development of these sub-sectors by taking a strategic management approach. Such an approach allows the author to assess enterprise competitiveness and profitability within industries. Readers will find that the information in this book serves as a well-needed supplement to the literature on the World Bank's July 1995 decision to focus more on micro-enterprise development. The book will appeal to many different audiences including development agencies concerned with the economic development community and the international academic community. Business and social science students who are interested in how work is organized in the family and the effects of modernization on traditional society will also benefit from reading this book.

Operations Management for MBAs or Financial Integration in East Asia

Operations Management for MBAs

Author: Jack R R Meredith

This book contains a brief introduction to the basic concepts of operations management. It takes a more strategic, conceptual, and contemporary approach to discuss topics that MBAs are currently facing such as supply chain management, the balanced scorecard, and yield management.

Table of Contents:

Ch. 1	The Nature of Operations	1
Ch. 2	Business Strategy and Global Competitiveness	20
Ch. 3	Quality Management	63
Ch. 4	Product/Service Design	99
Ch. 5	Transformation System Design	134
Ch. 6	Capacity and Location Planning	179
Ch. 7	Schedule Management	229
Ch. 8	Supply Chain Management	256
	Ch. 8 Supplement: The Beer Game	281
Ch. 9	Inventory Management	285
Ch. 10	Material Requirements Planning	308
Ch. 11	Just-in-Time Systems	333
Ch. 12	Project Management	358
	App. A	399
	Index	401

Book about: Tom Clancys Splinter Cell 3 or Practical Guide to Clinical Data Management

Financial Integration in East Asia

Author: Gordon De Brouwer

Financial Intergration in East Asia explains the different methods economists use to assess how open a country's financial system is to domestic and international influences, and applies these tests to ten countries in East Asia. It explains how a country that has an open financial system differs from one that is controlled. It explains what happened in East Asia in 1997/98 and reviews the costs and benefits of open financial markets. While it has appeal for the technical reader, the book uses ordinary language and emphasizes economic intuition. The topic is relatively new and fundamentally important to the way governments and markets work in East Asia.