This study revisits classic questions of political economy through an interdisciplinary lens, wedding the insights of modern social theory with heterodox political economy. The first chapter synthesizes the economic and sociological literature on wage determination, developing a conceptual apparatus, which is better situated than previous approaches, to understand the factors animating stagnating wages in the United States since the emergence of Neoliberalism. The second chapter applies reflexivity, a method in the sociology of science, to the Phillips curve. In doing so, the implicit biases within both theoretical and empirical approaches to the Phillips curve are elucidated, recognizing the limitations of traditional labor underutilization measures. Alternative labor underutilization measures are constructed using labor market transition rates, which are then used to estimate alternative econometric specifications of the Phillips curve. The results of these estimations are consistent with a flattening of the Phillips curve, expected as a result of declining institutional bargaining power of workers. The chapter finishes highlighting the limitations of the models estimated, commentating on how the literature should approach the Phillips curve going forward. The final chapter, uses path-dependency as a conceptual entry point to problematize the instrumental-ceremonial dichotomy, arguing that ceremonial institutions (culture) must be comprehensively considered in theorizing progressive institutional change, moving beyond an understanding of them as purely “imbecile”. A theory of political mobilization for progressive institutional change is laid out, one which systematically accounts for ceremonial institutions. By using rhetoric as a tool, we can play into ceremonial habits of thought, weaving progressive policy through the ceremonial net to implementation, where its instrumentality can be revealed, and a lock-in can form as constituents become accustomed to the material benefits provided. It is here where a progressive path-dependency is formed.

Essays in Interactionist Sociology contains a selection of contributions, spanning five decades, that advance the theory, organization, and research of the interactionist tradition. Harvey A. Farberman, professor emeritus of social welfare policy at Stony Brook University, wrote the fourteen essays, twelve of which were published in academic journals or annuals and two that are original to this volume. Each one focuses on some aspect of the theory of symbolic interactionist sociology, the professional and organizational development of the interactionist perspective, or empirical studies inspired by the perspective. The author highlights the emergence of the perspective from the philosophy of American Pragmatism, paying particular attention to the contributions of Charles Sanders Peirce and William James. He also examines what may be called refractions of the perspective. The latter part of the book contains four studies. Personalization in Lower Class Consumer Interactions; A Criminogenic Market Structure: The Automobile Industry; Fantasy in Everyday Life: The Intersection of Social Psychology and Political Economy; and Family Caregiving to Elders in New York State. In many ways, the essays in this volume contribute to and reflect the development of interactionist sociology as it grew from an American innovation to a robust, international social science discipline.

Crystallizing the essential principles of social reproductive theory, this anthology provides long-overdue analysis of everyday life under capitalism. It focuses on issues such as childcare, healthcare, education, family life, and the roles of gender, race, and sexuality--all of which are central to understanding the relationship between exploitation and social oppression. Tithi Bhattacharya brings together some of the leading writers and theorists, including Lise Vogel, Nancy Fraser, and Susan Ferguson, in order for us to better understand social relations and how to improve them in the fight against structural oppression.

This book explores the intersectional aspects of caste and gender in India that contribute to the multiple marginalities and oppressions of lower castes, with particular reference to Dalits, Muslims and women. It moves beyond the conventional accounts of experiences of women in unequal social and political relationships to examine how caste as a system and ideology shapes hegemonic masculinity and feminization of work, and thus contributes to the violence against women. The volume looks at their everyday lived realities within and across diverse social and political contexts — families, education systems, labour, communities, political parties, power, social organisations, the politics of representation and the writing of the subaltern women. With a range of empirical work, it brings forth the complexities of identity politics and further analyses its limits in regional and historical frameworks. This book will be of interest to students, scholars and specialists in caste and gender studies, exclusion and discrimination studies, sociology and social anthropology, history and political science. It will also be useful to Dalit writers and people working in the development sector in India.

This edited volume is the first collection of essays exploring the intersection of social economics and the law, providing alternatives to neoclassical law-and-economics and applying them to real-world issues. Law is a social enterprise concerned with values such as justice, dignity, and equality, as well as efficiency - which is the same way that social economists conceive of the economy itself. Social economists and legal scholars alike need to acknowledge the interrelationship between the economy and the law in a broader ethical context than enabled by mainstream law-and-economics. The ten chapters in Law and Social Economics, written by an international assortment of scholars from economics, philosophy, and law, employ a wide variety of approaches and methods to show how a more ethically nuanced approach to economics and the law can illuminate both fields and open up new avenues for studying social-economic behavior, policy, and outcomes in all their ethical and legal complexity.

This book sheds new light on the socio-economic impact of multinational corporations. Combining Cultural Studies and International Political Economy, it provides a revealing analysis of the Walt Disney Company, and by extension the wider Hollywood studio system. It does so by examining the cultural and economic forces powering the industry's expansion, the 'civilisation' that Disney disseminates, and the various ways that societies beyond the USA have adopted facets of the Hollywood productions to which they are exposed. Identifying both the strengths and the weaknesses of these transnational firms, it demonstrates the significance of their contribution to American power and predominance.