Essays in Economic Sociology

Max Weber

Published by Princeton University Press 2000

Essays in Economic Sociology

Max Weber
Edited by: Richard Swedberg

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691218168

Overview
Contents

About this book

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 general attempt 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.

Author / Editor information

Richard Swedberg is Professor of Sociology at Stockholm University in Sweden. His books include Economics and Sociology (Princeton), Joseph A. Schumpeter: A Biography (Princeton), Max Weber and the Idea of Economic Sociology (Princeton), and The Handbook of Economic Sociology, coedited with Neil Smelser (Princeton).

Reviews

"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."—Mark Perlman, University of Pittsburgh

"This is an excellent time for a collection of Weber's work on economic sociology, and Richard Swedberg is the person to do it."—Paul J. DiMaggio, Princeton University

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	v
NOTE ON THE TEXTS OF THE READINGS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction Richard Swedberg Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
PART I: MODERN CAPITALISM
O N E Modern Capitalism: Key Characteristics and Key Institutions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	43
TWO The Spirit of Capitalism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	52
THREE The Market Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	75
FOUR The Beginnings of the Firm Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	80
FIVE Class, Status, and Party Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	83
PART II: CAPITALISM, LAW, AND POLITICS
SIX The Three Types of Legitimate Domination Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
SEVEN The Bureaucratization of Politics and the Economy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	109
EIGHT The Rational State and Its Legal System Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	116
NINE The National State and Economic Policy (Freiburg Address) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	120
TEN The Social Causes of the Decay of Ancient Civilization Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	138
PART III: CAPITALISM, CULTURE, AND RELIGION
ELEVEN The Evolution of the Capitalist Spirit Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157
TWELVE The Protestant Sects and the Spirit of Capitalism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	168
THIRTEEN Kinship and Capitalism in China Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	179
FOURTEEN The Caste System in India Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	185
FIFTEEN Charity in Ancient Palestine Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	189
PART TV: THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY
SIXTEEN Sociological Categories of Economic Action Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	199
SEVENTEEN The Area of Economics, Economic Theory, and the Ideal Type Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	242
EIGHTEEN Marginal Utility Analysis and "The Fundamental Law of Psychophysics" Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	249
GLOSSARY Key Concepts in Weber's Economic Sociology Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	261
A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL GUIDE TO WEBER'S ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	287
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	303