Research frontiers in Economic Sociology and Labour Studies (ResFron ESLS)
Seminar cycle
21st January - 17th June 2013, h. 14.30-16.30
Seminar Room (room 6, second floor)
Department of Social and Political Sciences
via Conservatorio 7 - Milan
Programme 2013
21st JANUARY 2013, Prof. Roberto Pedersini (University of Milan)
"Social institutions and the Economy"
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Background readings:
North, D.C. (1990), Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ch. 1-4, pp. 3-35.
Coleman, J.S. (1990), Foundations of Social Theory, Cambridge, MA: the Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, ch. 10, pp. 241-265.
Fligstein, N., McAdam, D. (2012), A Theory of Fields, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ch. 1, pp. 3-33.
Hall, P.A., Soskice, D. (2001), Varieties of Capitalism. The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage, Introduction, pp. 1-68.
Thelen, K. (2009), Institutional Change in Advanced Political Economies, in British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 471–498.
Baccaro, L., Howell, C. (2011), A Common Neoliberal Trajectory: The Transformation of Industrial Relations in Advanced Capitalism, in Politics & Society, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 521-563
18th FEBRUARY 2013, Prof. Lorenzo Bordogna and Massimo Pallini (University of Milan), Giovanna Fullin (University of Milan Bicocca)
"Labour studies (industrial relations, labour market, labour law)"
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Background readings:
Abbott A. (2005), Soiology of Work and Occupations, in N.J. Smelser and R. Swedberg (eds), The Handbook of Economic Socio-logy (second edition), Russel Sage Foundation, pp.307-330.
Baccaro, L., Howell, C. (2011), A Common Neoliberal Trajectory: The Transformation of Industrial Relations in Advanced Capi-talism, in Politics & Society, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 521-563.
Bücker A. – Warneck W. (2011), Reconciling Fundamental Social Rights and Economic Freedoms afer Viking, Laval and Rüffert, Nomos.
Crouch C. (2008), What will Follow the Demise of Privatised Keynsianism?, in Political Quarterly, 79, 4, 476-487.
Edwards P. (2005) The puzzle of work: insecurity and stress and autonomy and commitment, in A. Heath, J. Ermisch e D. Gal-lie (eds) Understanding social change, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Gallie D. ed (2007), Employment Regimes and the Quality of Work, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hall, P.A., Soskice, D. (eds) (2001), Varieties of Capitalism. The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage, Oxford: O.U.P. (especially Introduction, pp. 1-68).
Moreau M. - A. (2011), Before and After the Economic Crisis. What Implications for the 'European Social Model'?, Edward El-gar Publishing Ltd.
Scharpf F. (2010), The asymmetry of European integration, or why the EU cannot be a 'social market economy', in Socio-Economic Review 8, 211–250.
Schoemann I., Clauwert (2012), "The crisis and national labour law reforms: a mapping exercise"; ETUI Working Paper 2012/4.
Streeck W. (2009), Reforming Capitalism. Institutional Change in the German Politica Economy, Oxford: OUP.
Streeck W. (2005), The Sociology of Labour Markets and Trade Unions, in N.J. Smelser and R. Swedberg (eds), The Handbook of Economic Sociology (second edition), Russel Sage Foundation, pp.254-283.
Supiot A. (2010),, "A legal perspective on the economic crisis of 2008", in International Labour Review, Vol. 149 No. 2, pp. 151 – 162.
Syrpis P. (2008), The Treaty of Lisbon: Much Ado...But About What?, in Industrial Law Journal, Vol. 37(3) 292.
Syrpis P. (2011), Reconciling Economic Freedoms and Social Rights, in Industrial Law Journal, Vol. 40(2).
Thelen, K. (2009), 'Institutional Change in Advanced Political Economies', in British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 471–498.
Stato e mercato (2012), Seminario su 'Le relazioni industriali di fronte alla crisi', n. 1/2012.
Socio-economic Review (2010), Discussion Forum on 'Labour and the Global Financial Crisis' (8).
11th MARCH 2013, Prof. Flaminio Squazzoni (University of Brescia), Giangiacomo Bravo (University of Turin)
"Economic behaviour and social interaction"
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The seminar will discuss concepts, tools and methods to analyze the relation between economic action and social interaction, in particular concerning the relation between market, norms and social networks. The starting point will be a theory of action based on rational choice, game theory and cognitive action: then, an integrated framework will be presented including experimental micro analysis and computer simulation, which allows to understand the impact of social interaction on economic behavior. Substantive applications include: the impact of social norms on economic interaction; the role of trust and reputation in reducing market information asymmetries; the impact of social networks on market behaviour: the mechanisms of social influence who structure economic behaviour under uncertainty.
Background readings:
Hedstrom, P. (2005) Dissecting the Social. On the Principles of Analytical Sociology, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Poteete, A. R., Janssen, M. A. & Ostrom, E. (2010) Working Together. Collective Action, the Commons, and Multiple Methods in Practice, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Squazzoni, F. (2012), Agent-Based Computational Sociology, Chichester: Wiley Blackwell.
15th APRIL 2013, Prof. Maurizio Catino (University of Milan Bicocca)
"Complex organizations"
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Understanding organizations is important fort two reasons: first organizations are the basic building blocks of modern society. They wield tremendous power and distribute innumerable benefits. All interests – economic, political, social, and cultural – are pursued through formal organizations. The second reason is more practical: if we want to change some aspects of our lives and of our society, we have to change the organizations we live in. It is only through organizations that large-scale planning and co-ordination in modern societies become possible.
This seminar lecture has two main goals.
The first goal is to cover basic issues in contemporary organizational theories, and introduce the central debates in organizational and economic sociology. Contemporary sociology perspectives on organizations emphasize the interaction between organizations and the environment in which they operate.
The second goal is to analyze the social impact of organizations. Organizations can produce catastrophic consequences (e.g. incidents, crises, and so on) and negative externalities (e.g. pollution, disruption of non-renewable resources, and so on). In particular, one of the key current topics in sociology of organizations will be discussed: the dark side of organization (disasters, errors, misconduct). This question will be investigated through an analysis of how organizations fail, and the relationship between the fundamental structures/processes of organization and the "pathologies" to which organizations are prone.
Background readings
Scott, R.W., and Davis, G.F. (2007), Organization and Organizing: Rational, Natural and Open System Perspectives, New Jersey,
Pearson International Edition.
Catino, M. (2013), Organizational Myopia. Problems of Rationality and Foresight in Organizations. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Vaughan, D. (1999), "The Dark Side of Organizations: Mistake, Misconduct and Disaster", Annual Review of Sociology, 25, 1, 271-305.
20th MAY 2013, Prof. Filippo Barbera (University of Turin), Michele Rostan (University of Pavia)
"Local development"
17 JUNEth 2013, Prof. Gabriele Ballarino (University of Milan), Cinzia Meraviglia (University of Eastern Piedmont)
"Occupations, education and social stratification"
ESLS (Economic Sociology and Labour Studies) is a network of economic sociologists working in six universities in North-Western Italy. The network aims at integrating both teaching and research in the field, with the final goal to establish common graduate courses. A first step towards this goal is the ResFron cycle of seminars, hosted by the Graduate School in Social and Political Sciences of the University of Milan and kindly sponsored by the Compagnia di San Paolo. Six sub-areas in economic sociology have been selected, on the basis of their substantive interest and methodological innovation. From January to June 2013, six seminars will be held by members of the network, each one on one sub-area, presenting the topic and the reasons why it is relevant. The aim is to share advanced concepts and techniques, as to create among participants the same kind of communication that previous generations of Italian economic sociolo-gists managed to find on the "classical" topics of the discipline (the relations between economy and society; labour regulation and con-flict; social classes and so on).
Seminars are open to faculty, PhD students and to anyone interested.
This initiative is part of the project NASP-West (Network for the Advancement of Social and Political Studies in North-West Italy)
With the support of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo
Download the ResFron ESLS Seminar Cycle Leaflet as pdf file here