Institutional change : theory and empirical findings /

This anthology contains articles written by 25 scholars, mostly economists and sociologists, from the US, UK, Eastern Europe, and the Scandinavian countries; most papers were presented in 1991 at the Third International Conference on Socio-Economics. The central theme--institutional change--is a part of mainstream research in sociology. Yet, the majority of contributors are economists, and institutional change is not a part of their established neoclassical paradigm. The economists participating in this symposium belong to the neoinstitutionalist school; they, not unlike David Osterfeld (Prosperity Versus Planning, CH, May'93) and Gerald W. Scully (Constitutional Environments and Economic Growth, CH, Feb'93), attempt to improve the neoclassical paradigm, not reject it. Together with their colleagues from other social sciences, they used elements of an organizational theory, which is now emerging at the intersection of sociology, political science, economics, and other disciplines, to broaden the core concepts of institutionalism. As a valuable and timely interdisciplinary effort to interpret rapid economic, social, and organizational changes on a global scale, this volume is highly recommended both for social scientists and the general public. Undergraduate; graduate; faculty; professional. O. Zinam; University of Cincinnati