Max Weber and the Idea of Economic Sociology

Book Description

While most people are familiar with The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, few know that during the last decade of his life Max Weber (1864-1920) also tried to develop a new way of analyzing economic phenomena, which he termed "economic sociology." Indeed, this effort occupies the central place in Weber's thought during the years just before his death. Richard Swedberg here offers a critical presentation and the first major study of this fascinating part of Weber's work.

This book shows how Weber laid a solid theoretical foundation for economic sociology and developed a series of new and highly evocative concepts. He not only investigated economic phenomena but also linked them clearly with political, legal, and religious phenomena. Swedberg also demonstrates that Weber's approach to economic sociology addresses a major problem that has haunted economic analysis since the nineteenth century: how to effectively unite an interest-driven type of analysis (popular with economists) with a social one (of course preferred by sociologists). Exploring Weber's views of the economy and how he viewed its relationship to politics, law, and religion, Swedberg furthermore discusses similarities and differences between Weber's economic sociology and present-day thinking on the same topic. In addition, the author shows how economic sociology has recently gained greater credibility as economists and sociologists have begun to collaborate in studying problems of organizations, political structures, social problems, and economic culture more generally. Swedberg's book will be sure to further this new cooperation.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: Second Roxbury Edition

Average customer rating:

Great theory, but not always an easy read
Value edition for the budget minded
A Very Standard Economic Postulate
Don't buy the Dover edition of this book.
great idea, little proof

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: Second Roxbury Edition
Max Weber
Manufacturer: Roxbury Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Sociology | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

History of Ideas | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 093573290X

Book Description

Max Weber's best-known and most controversial work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, first published in 1904, remains to this day a powerful and fascinating read. Weber's highly accessible style is just one of many reasons for his continuing popularity. The book contends that the Protestant ethic made possible and encouraged the development of capitalism in the West. Widely considered as the most informed work ever written on the social effects of advanced capitalism, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism holds its own as one of the most significant books of the twentieth century. The book is one of those rare works of scholarship which no informed citizen can afford to ignore.

Customer Reviews:

Great theory, but not always an easy read.......2007-07-30

Max Weber's thesis that the Protestant work-ethic helped give rise to the spirit of modern capitalism is well known, but how true is it? Weber goes into an impressive review of historical details on how Luther's concept of the calling became the Calvinist concept of labor to glorify God, and finally the Puritan concept that is applied to business as well as anything else. In short, the Protestant hard-work ethic, intended to be a sign of election and to glorify god, inadvertently (at least in part) gave birth to the spirit of capitalism, of sustained, planned, methodical profit-making. Though capitalism is no longer dependent upon religion for maintaining its ethos (we are all caught in the rat race), it is fascinating how Weber makes a compelling case that a once anti-materialist Protestant Christianity came to affirm the capitalist spirit by way of a hard-working ethic. Many of Weber's themes are persuasive, if also controversial. Weber has by no means isolated the final or full cause of the take-off of capitalism in modern times, but he has made a good case for one contributing factor. Would that his style of writing had been a bit more direct - Weber's insights are at least worth careful reading.

Value edition for the budget minded.......2007-06-06

The "reviews" about Weber's thesis could fill libraries. Ooops! They actually have!

So let's ignore that.

The focus here is on value, and this Dover value edition is perfectly fine for the thrifty college student on a limited budget who needs to read this work for an assignment but doesn't want to be at the mercy of the University Library.

This is a seminal work that reaches far into other fields of inquiry, so it is likely you will need it no matter what your field.

The binding is an el-cheap-o slab of glue, so it won't lie flat on your desk when you are transcribing a quote for a citation.....but since you've downloaded the text file you'll just cut and paste anyway.

Academic citations to this edition are perfectly acceptable in scholarly papers and under MLA, ASA, APA, ACS, APSA, "Turabian" and MHRA style guidelines (and perhaps others).

A Very Standard Economic Postulate.......2007-04-15

Assuming Max Weber's thesis to be true proves useful. By assuming it as a postulate, one gains a potential way of understanding the beliefs of the western-world's upper pareto boundary and the typical ressentiments / bad faith (bad-tempered, difficult mental traps everyone who tries to create something can't help but fall into from time to time, mea culpa!) of the lower.

Max Scheler (who advised Karol Wojtyla as a Ph.D. student) seems to have done something similar to what Max Weber describes the upper pareto boundary (somewhere over the rainbow as the song goes) as having done. Max Scheler "attempted to reconcile Nietzsche's ideas of master-slave morality and ressentiment with the Christian ideals of love and humility."

Anyway, just projecting a few of my other readings onto this one a bit. L8R.

Don't buy the Dover edition of this book........2006-10-26

The Dover edition of the book has been bound so tightly that it's difficult to turn the pages--and to read the words, which are nearly swallowed up by the binding. It feels like if you force it at all, the whole binding will come unglued.

It may be cheap, but it *feels* so extremely cheap that it's just not worth the money saved. Buy yourself another edition--or for that matter, just get the text free online. Anything's better than trying to read this edition.

great idea, little proof.......2006-09-26

As part of my enquiry into the forces that the Reformation unleased, I decided to at last read this classic.

Alas, it was disappointing in that Weber makes the assertion - that reformation-spawned ideologies were the foundation of the capitalist revolution - and then offers little historical explanation as proof of his thesis. Instead, what he does is to painstakingly describe the ideologies in question, to show that they are compatible conceptually with his definition of capitalism (the rise of an urban bourgeoisie that created wealth by investing in industry as a major new economic actor, eventaully leading to the eclipse of the old land-based aristocracy). As Hannah Ardnt said, so long as you are far enough from reality, you can make almost any ideas appear compatible. As such, I was unconvinced that a) the feeling of being among the elect made people work harder to prove it by material success and b) that a heightened sense of individuality that arose with separation from the papist ideologies augmented this pursuit of self-development via the massing of personal capital. While the protestant ideologies may conform vaguely to these notions, that does not in the slightest prove a direct causal connection. Indeed, one might argue that it was the repression by the Inquisition - against the bourgoise's challenge to traditional aristocrats - that may have delayed the development of capitalism in Catholic countries for a few centuries. (That capitalism did develop in many Catholic countries also undermines the book's prinicpal thesis.)

This essay is interesting as a pioneering attempt at sociological determinism from a rather existentialist perspective, but reading the whole thing was a bit much for me. Weber was a great and innovative thinker, however out of date his modes of reasoning have become - they are strictly qualitative. Not recommended except asof historical interest.

MAX WEBER AND THE IDEA OF ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY.(Review) (book review): An article from: Journal of Economic Issues

Average customer rating:

MAX WEBER AND THE IDEA OF ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY.(Review) (book review): An article from: Journal of Economic Issues
Jonathon E. Mote
Manufacturer: Association for Evolutionary Economics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Sweden | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Economic Issues, published by Association for Evolutionary Economics on December 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1397 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: MAX WEBER AND THE IDEA OF ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY.(Review) (book review)
Author: Jonathon E. Mote
Publication: Journal of Economic Issues (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 1999
Publisher: Association for Evolutionary Economics
Volume: 33 Issue: 4 Page: 1040

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

Focuses Too Much on Middle Class Women

A great book about some great women in a great environment!

So-So.

If they thought it was going to be easy they shouldn't go!

VERY INTRESTING,THROUGH THE EYES OF ALASKAN FISHING WOMEN

The Entangling Net: Alaska's Commercial Fishing Women Tell Their Lives
Leslie Fields
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Women & Business | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Fishing Up North: Stories of Luck and Loss in Alaskan Waters

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Breakers: A Novel about the Commercial Fishermen of Alaska

ASIN: 0252065654

Customer Reviews:

Focuses Too Much on Middle Class Women.......2006-06-22

This book, while well written by a worthy author, focuses too much on the experiences of middle class women to the neglect of the experiences of Alaskan Native and local working class people. Thus we have the complaints of at least one individual that, based on my own personal experiences with this person, are entirely exaggerated and reflect incredible narcissism, snobbery and lack of consideration for other people. It was exactly this mentality, masquerading as politically correct feminism, that caused the director of the nursing program at the Univeristy of Alaska to be fired during this period.

A great book about some great women in a great environment!.......1998-12-14

This is a well written book about fascinating women. I know many of the women Leslie writes about and all are perfectly illustrated by the rich text within the book. Good job!

So-So........1998-12-10

Reads like a research paper for a masters degreee

If they thought it was going to be easy they shouldn't go!.......1998-12-07

This is a hard job for anyone. Why do these women whine about how difficult the situations were (are).

VERY INTRESTING,THROUGH THE EYES OF ALASKAN FISHING WOMEN.......1998-01-27

a great book that takes your mind for a ride on the most dangerous job in the world,fishing in alaska and being a woman too.

Average customer rating:

A well-structured overview for the novice

E-Business and Distributed Systems Handbook: Middleware Module
Amjad Umar
Manufacturer: Nge Solutions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | E-commerce | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0972741488

Book Description

This module explains what is middleware in a clear and systematic manner and highlights its role in interconnecting remotely located users, applications, and databases in the modern digital corporations. This is one module of an extensive handbook that systematically discusses how to translate e-business strategies to working solutions by using the latest distributed computing technologies. Readers are carefully guided through the "jungle" of existing as well as emerging middleware services by using numerous real life examples and case studies that highlight practical applications. Unnecessary formalisms and jargon are actively avoided.Chapters of this module discuss the following topics: a) Middleware principles, basic middleware services (RPC, MOM, RDA, Publish/Subscribe) and distributed architectures supported by the basic services; b) Web technologies (e.g., browsers, servers, Web gateways, HTTP, HTML, proxies, cookies), XML "family" (e.g., DTD, Schema, XSL), Semantic Web, and Web Services; c) Distributed object computing concepts, CORBA/DCOM, Web Services, SOAP, WSDL, UDDI, J2EE, .NET; d) Enterprise data and transaction management concepts, technologies, and approaches in Web/XML environments (distributed databases, distributed query processing, XML processing, TP Heavy, TP Lite); and e) Middleware state of the practice (case studies), market (commercial products), and art (research and development trends).

Customer Reviews:

A well-structured overview for the novice.......2003-06-21

Dr. Umar tested this module, and companion modules, in a class of his which I took in graduate school. While I was a professional student familiar with most of the topics at some level, I noticed he did an excellent job of providing a structured overview of the middleware technology landscape in the Middleware module. In particular, I liked the fact that he went beyond descriptions of systems and services to also look at practical issues like tradeoffs among different middleware technologies relative to specific types of applications. Also, the writing and visual style is at a pleasant enough level that you don't get lost in the complexities associated with all technologies. If you're new to the middleware area, and desire an initial broad brush overview, I highly recommend this module, especially given its reasonable price. Once you're done with it, you can confidently venture to other more detailed (and expensive) texts to investigate a specific topic, without losing the topic's context in the general scheme of things.

Average customer rating:

Litany of security aspects, protection mechanisms on credit cards

Fraud Prevention Techniques for Credit Card Fraud
David A. Montague
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1412014603
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Product Description

Effective credit card fraud prevention programs can increase sales revenue while decreasing administration costs and fraud losses. Learn the techniques and strategies to feel secure about accepting credit cards.

Customer Reviews:

Litany of security aspects, protection mechanisms on credit cards .......2006-10-26

Considering that this book has been sitting here, for quite some
time without a review, (which doesn't mean it hasn't sold
reasonably well - it may have well done so) I'll lay out its
first review.

First, the fact that this book exists, is a milestone in
e-commerce, and in self-publishing (through Canada's Trafford, no
less), considering that it's a topic that is extremely
specialized, boring, somewhat sterile, complicated yet in so many
ways present everywhere, at all times, considering there's almost
1 million ATM's, and 20 million points of sale/ merchants, around
the world taking credit cards.

If the objective of the author was to lend credibility to his
consulting business, he's succeeded considering the wealth of
information, extremely up-to-date, realistically and in a well
organized manner, on credit cards and points of sale, coupled
with the risk of fraud in that activity.

The author succeeds in giving confidence to merchants in
accepting credit cards, by explaining the litany of security
aspects, protection mechanisms and procedures that are present
during the transactions. I won't repeat what the book discusses,
but suffice to say that there are in excess of 40 chapters, most
short or medium in length, touching upon essential topics.
Obviously, with so many areas, none can be looked at in profound
detail, but this is not a drawback, considering that this book is
more of an introduction, than a how-to manual for websites,
ecommerce, software choices, or advanced security suggestions.

For those in the banking system, or working at merchant
locations, the author's instruction amounts to learning an
entirely new language, such is the terminology, the procedures,
the aspects of thinking and analyzing the "usage" aspects of
credit cards as forms of payment. As such, it can clarify,
justify, make coherent various strategies and requirements that
are seen at points of sales, and at banks for those handling
transactions which up until now were perhaps seen in isolation,
vs. as part of a greater whole, or of a larger encompassing
strategy. It assigns proper names to specific procedures and
scenarios and requirements.

For someone working in accounting, accounts receivable, at the
cash, or running a business, (a store, for example), the book is
an education on the struggle of maintaining the course vs.
abusers and fraudsters, and in how potentially difficult it can
be for store owners in maintaining their banking relationship in
face of the same abusers of "Credit cards" as forms of payment.

The author suggests that there are more volumes to be written in
the future, clearly admitting that a lot more could have been
said. Speaking for myself, a next volume would be welcome.

Lastly, perhaps 10 pages of repetition could have been edited
out of the book (such as about vbv, or securecode) or even the 4
or 5 typos seen along the 200 or so pages of the book, for
example, but, as an INTRODUCTION to the subject matter, clearly,
the author is agile in educating the reader on credit cards and
security and how they must be handled by all the parties
involved (acquirers, issuers, shoppers, merchants, etc.)

Customer Reviews:

Do we have to grow up?.......2003-08-21

This is like reading your best friends journal. Great life stories,lessons learned and wisdom included. Try it. You won't be disappointed.

Good, Common-sense Advice.......2003-06-14

Every year thousands of self-help books are published promising you can be smarter, richer, thinner, happier and/or better pleased with yourself even without all of the above. The majority of these books have one basic assumption: that the reader knows what he or she wants.

Authors Kenney Hayes and Marlene Hamilton, however, know there are some --women in particular -- who may have a feeling there's something missing in their lives but aren't quite sure what. What may be missing, they say, is an understanding of one's life's purpose, a dream. Everyone has such a purpose, they advise, but may have either lacked the courage to pursue it or lost faith in their ability to do so. What Do We Want to Be When We Grow Up is for them.

"Get ready," writes Ms. Hamilton, "to visualize the invisible Dream God has for you, or the one tucked down deep within your heart."

In a breezy, wry style, Ms. Hayes and Ms. Hamilton offer the kind of "you can do it" encouragement one gets from good friends, and that is totally intentional. Although both are active in church ministry, they aren't out to preach a sermon. Instead, by using events in their own lives as examples, they show how even the negative events in our lives can further our path goalward. Each chapter is followed by a single page of exercises intended to build confidence and aid in self-discovery, making their slim volume an potentially excellent group study guide.

WHAT DO WE WANT TO BE WHEN WE GROW UP might almost be subtitled "An Introduction to Self-Help," because that is essentially what it does. It's a place to start if one is dissatisfied without quite knowing why, a first step on the road to finding out just what one is here for presented in an easily digested, uplifting way that never accuses or condemns. And it is well worth reading just for the pleasure of knowing the authors.

Book Description

On The Road To Freedom is a comprehensive resource guide that steers the reader through the process of eliminating debt. Rebecca shares her years of struggling with debt, which eventually led her to seek professional help. By sharing her own story, she hopes to encourage others that they too can overcome the debt trap.

Rebecca draws from her personal experience, coupled with her expertise as an accounting professional to combine both practical and spiritual guidance throughout the debt-elimination process and beyond. Among the topics addressed, the reader will receive instruction on how to set goals, avoid pitfalls along the way, share their struggles, take mental breaks and remain free from debt. There are also step-by-step illustrations for personal application. After each chapter, the reader will be asked to journal answers to specific questions related to the preceding chapter.

Written in a spirit of light-heartedness and compassion, the reader will be inspired by the journey and ultimate destination.

Rebecca has twenty years of experience as an accounting professional. As a consultant she provides tax and accounting solutions to individuals, small businesses and non-profit organizations. She is a member of various professional associations. She has also served in church ministry in various capacities, including director of new members' orientation, liaison for the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship and Sunday school teacher.

“Becky gives personal testimonies and sound financial advice in addressing the issues of God-ordained financial freedom. She writes with clarity and under girds each chapter with Scriptural references. This book will be a blessing to any who read it and to all who apply it.”

Dr. Maxine Hunt

Minister of Christian Education

New Beginning Full Gospel Baptist Church

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