This long-awaited second edition of "Economy/Society Markets, Meanings, and Social Structure" continues to offer an accessible introduction to the way social arrangements affect economic activity, and shows that economic exchanges are deeply embedded in social relationships. Understanding how society shapes the economy helps us answer many important questions. For example, how does advertising get people to buy things? How do people use their social connections to get jobs? How did large bureaucratic organizations come to be so pervasive in modern economies and what difference does it make? How can we explain the persistence of economic inequalities between men and women and across racial groups? Why do some countries become rich while others stay poor? This book presents sociological answers to questions like these, and encourages its readers to view the economy through a sociological lens.
Chapter 1: The Embeddedness of Markets Markets and Their Alternatives Markets and Their Preconditions The Embeddedness of Markets The Consequences of Markets The Variety of Capitalisms Globalization Outline of the Book Chapter 2: Marketing and the Meaning of Things Things and Meaning Commodities as Gifts Consumerism Consumers and Debt Advertising Diversity and Consumerism Consumerism and Globalization Conclusion Chapter 3: Organizations and the Economy The Power of the Boss Organizations around the Globe Organizations and Internal Labor Markets The Organizational Context for Conflict Workplace and Personal Life The Formation of an Organizational Economy Conclusion Chapter 4: Networks in the Economy What Is a Network? Why Networks Matter Individual Networks The Importance of Networks in Markets Conclusion Chapter 5: Banking and Finance What Does a Financial System Do? Finance and Development Regulation and Deregulation Disintermediation Innovation and Status Household Finance Globalization and Finance Conclusion Chapter 6: Economic Inequality Inequality in Perspective Inequality and Efficiency Explaining Recent Trends in Income Inequality Globalization Race, Gender, and Inequality Gender in the Labor Market Race in the Labor Market Race, Mortgage Discrimination, and Wealth Inequality Race, Gender, and Price Conclusion Chapter 7: Economic Development Economic Development Defined From The Wealth of Nations to the Washington Consensus Sociological Perspectives on Development Conclusion Chapter 8: Conclusion
