82187 - Society and Economy

Learning outcomes

The course promotes theoretical and methodological knowledge useful for understanding social phenomena. Lectures address the origins and transformations of modern market economies, looking at the role of cultural, social and political factors in economic development.

Skills acquired at the end of the course: A critical and reflective look at social reality, thanks to the application of some general sociological concepts, with particular reference to the different forms of organization of the economy and to the variety of contemporary economic systems and lifestyles.

Course contents

1. Sociology of capitalism.
Origins and developments of capitalism: Simmel and Sombart
Capitalism and Western Civilization: Max Weber
The social consequences of capitalism: Durkheim and Veblen
The Great Crisis and the decline of liberal capitalism: Polanyi and Schumpeter

2. Contemporary economic sociology
The legacy of the classics and the new boundaries between economics and sociology
The crisis of Fordism, the Third Italy and the industrial districts The New economic sociology and the sociology of consumption

3. Recent developments in platform capitalism

Readings/Bibliography

1. Trigilia, C (2009), Sociologia economica. Vol I. Profilo storico, Bologna, Il Mulino.

2. Trigilia, C (2009), Sociologia economica. Vol II. Temi e percorsi contemporanei, Bologna, Il Mulino.

3. Zelizer, V (2009), Vite economiche. Bologna Il Mulino. Only: Introduzione + Cap. 1

Office hours

See the website of Laura Sartori