The Future of Economic Sociology

Event, WINIR Workshop

WINIR-WSES WORKSHOP ON THE FUTURE OF ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY (MADISON, WISCONSIN, APRIL 2025) — In its prime, economic sociology was premised on the moral and communal contours of economic life, with research centered on questions of embeddedness, relational work, and performativity. But in recent years, the limits of these perspectives have become apparent. Many now rehearse the same tired stories of social capital or accumulate still more evidence of our “financialized” lives.

Regulation & the Common Good

Event, WINIR Workshop

WINIR WORKSHOP ON REGULATION & THE COMMON GOOD (SHEFFIELD, UK, OCTOBER 2023) — For better or for worse, in a range of policy areas, justifications for regulation are framed in the language of market failure or its counterpart government failure. By contrast, the point of departure of much socio-legal scholarship is the recognition that societal issues cannot be reduced to this dichotomy.

Polycentricity, Markets & Firms

Event, Online, WINIR Workshop

WINIR WORKSHOP ON POLYCENTRICITY, MARKETS & FIRMS (ONLINE, DECEMBER 2021) — Markets have been associated with polycentricity since Michael Polanyi formulated the concept, and this connection was at the heart of the Bloomington School’s analysis of competition in public service industries. Despite this long history, markets have received surprisingly limited attention by scholars of polycentricity during its renaissance over the past 20 years. And in the course of this renaissance, very little attention has focused on firms and other kinds of corporate entities.

Repugnant Behaviours

Event, Online, WINIR Workshop

WINIR WORKSHOP ON REPUGNANT BEHAVIOURS (ONLINE, FEBRUARY 2021) — Formally introduced in economics by Nobel laureate Alvin Roth, the concept of repugnance arises in the debate among philosophers (e.g., Elizabeth Anderson, Michael Sandel, Debra Satz) and other social scientists (e.g., Kristie Blevins, Amitai Etzioni, Kimberly Krawiec, Amartya Sen, Philip Tetlock) about how and why moral concerns, taboos and sacred values place, or ought to place, limits on market transactions.