Theories of Social Order: A Reader

This collection of readings provides a compelling exploration of what arguably remains the single most important problem in sociological theory: the problem of social order. Contending that the purpose of theory in the social sciences lies in its ability to explain real-world phenomena, Theories of Social Order departs from the standard theory reader by presenting classical texts alongside contemporary theoretical extensions and recent empirical applications to explore this substantive theme. Its unique approach—focusing on theories rather than theorists and on one overarching question rather than a disparate array of issues—encourages students to compare various factors and mechanisms, seek common analytical themes, and develop a deeper theoretical understanding of the problem of social order. Further, by pairing theory with empirical research, the volume helps students appreciate the relevance of theory to their own lives, to the research enterprise, and to the development of better social policies. Readings have been selected based on their relevance to classical theoretical issues and are all accessible to a non-technical audience. Editorial introductions to each section discuss the causal mechanisms in each theory and make explicit links between the classical and the modern texts.

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Stanford Social Sciences

How does culture matter for development? Do certain societies have cultures which condemn them to poverty? Led by Arjun Appadurai, Mary Douglas, and Amartya Sen, the anthropologists and economists in this volume contend that culture is central to development, and that cultural processes are neither inherently good nor bad and never static. Rather, they are contested and evolving, and can be a source of profound social and economic transformation through their influence on aspirations and collective action; yet they can also be exploitative, exclusionary, and can lead to inequality.Culture and Public Action includes case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, which examine the role of culture in community-based development, ethnic conflict, famine relief, gender discrimination, and HIV-AIDS policy. The editors conclude by proposing how a "cultural lens" can better inform future research and public policy on development. Accessible, balanced, and engaging, this book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the relationship between culture and economics, and the design and implementation of development policy. For further information on the book and related essays, please visit:http://www.cultureandpublicaction.orgFor orders from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, please e-mailPermanent Black at perblack@ndb.vsnl.net.in.

Culture and Public Action (Stanford Social Sciences)

Business & Money

Vijayendra Rao

Michael Walton

Economics

Geographic interpretations of development recently have become the subject of much renewed interest and debate within scholarly and public policy circles. Focusing on Latin America, this book examines how physical and human geography has influenced the region’s potential for economic and social development. The book assesses how geography affects differences in development between countries and more specifically between Latin America and other regions of the world. The effects of geography on regional development are examined through four channels: the productivity of land, health conditions, frequency and intensity of natural disasters, and access to markets. The book then explores how geography has influenced development within countries through case studies of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru―countries significant for their geographical diversity as well as their wide socioeconomic disparities. These case studies illustrate numerous exceptions to international patterns and prove that while geography matters, it need not determine a country's destiny. Using the knowledge gained from these two perspectives, the book concludes with recommendations for policies that can help countries overcome the limitations imposed by geography and thereby enhance their potential for economic and social development.

Is Geography Destiny?: Lessons from Latin America (Latin American Development Forum)

History

Globalization and Development draws upon the experiences of the Latin American and Caribbean region to provide a multidimensional assessment of the globalization process from the perspective of developing countries. Based on a study by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), this book gives a historical overview of economic development in the region and presents both an economic and noneconomic agenda that addresses disparity, respects diversity, and fosters complementarity among regional, national, and international institutions. For orders originating outside of North America, please visit the World Bank website for a list of distributors and geographic discounts at http://publications.worldbank.org/howtoorder or e-mail pubdistributors@worldbank.org.

Globalization and Development: A Latin American and Caribbean Perspective (Latin American Development Forum)

Juan Martin

José Antonio Ocampo

Schools and Societies: Second Edition

Schools and Societies provides a synthesis of key issues in the sociology of education, focusing on American schools while offering a global, comparative context. Already a standard text in its first edition, this fully revised and updated second edition offers a broader sweep and stronger theoretical foundation, and takes into consideration key developments in education policy and scholarship since the late 1990s. The book is distinguished from others in the field by its breadth of coverage, compelling institutional history, and lively prose style. It opens with a chapter on schooling as a social institution. Subsequent chapters examine and compare schooling in industrialized and developing countries, and discuss the major purposes of schooling: transmitting culture, socializing young people, and sorting youth for class and occupations. Materials from different educational systems are interwoven throughout the book. The concluding chapter looks at school reform efforts and the future possibilities of schooling.

Brint, Steven

Building Experiments: Testing Social Theory

Building Experiments is the essential text for understanding experimental methods. In engaging style, the book shows how theory is employed in experimental design, how experiments test theory, and how proper design and use of experiments can advance the social sciences as explanatory sciences. The interactive nature of the text encourages students to hone their skills, building and running experiments while learning the underlying principles of theory and experimentation. The book addresses practical issues, ranging from the critical analysis of historically important experiments to understanding how to recruit subjects properly and protect their rights. Founding experiments in sociology are compared to founding experiments in physics to demonstrate fundamental cross-disciplinary similarities of theory, experiment, and scientific method. Finally, the book explains how experimental research and theory can be applied in historical and institutional studies. This book will be a key resource in social science methodology courses at all levels.

Willer, David

Walker, Henry A.

Building Experiments is the essential text for understanding experimental methods. In engaging style, the book shows how theory is employed in experimental design, how experiments test theory, and how proper design and use of experiments can advance the social sciences as explanatory sciences. The interactive nature of the text encourages students to hone their skills, building and running experiments while learning the underlying principles of theory and experimentation. The book addresses practical issues, ranging from the critical analysis of historically important experiments to understanding how to recruit subjects properly and protect their rights. Founding experiments in sociology are compared to founding experiments in physics to demonstrate fundamental cross-disciplinary similarities of theory, experiment, and scientific method. Finally, the book explains how experimental research and theory can be applied in historical and institutional studies. This book will be a key resource in social science methodology courses at all levels.

Global Dimensions of Gender and Carework

Why are women such prominent workers in the global marketplace? Why do so many perform jobs that involve carework? What political forces have made these women key participants in globalization? What are the consequences for the women themselves, for their families, and for societies and international relations in general? This book offers a provocative examination of globalization, examining the lives of the women at the center of these new global dynamics. Arguing that society is facing multiple crises of care, the authors develop a new framework for understanding the interplay of globalization, gender, and carework. In four original essays, they examine gender, race, and class inequality; migration, citizenship, and the politics of social control; the evolving meanings of motherhood; and new social definitions of carework and the personal transformation of careworkers. Excerpts from the classic works in the field as well as recent cutting-edge research studies support the examination of each of these growing global crises.

Mary K. Zimmerman

Jacquelyn S. Litt

Christine E. Bose

Why are women such prominent workers in the global marketplace? Why do so many perform jobs that involve carework? What political forces have made these women key participants in globalization? What are the consequences for the women themselves, for their families, and for societies and international relations in general? This book offers a provocative examination of globalization, examining the lives of the women at the center of these new global dynamics. Arguing that society is facing multiple crises of care, the authors develop a new framework for understanding the interplay of globalization, gender, and carework. In four original essays, they examine gender, race, and class inequality; migration, citizenship, and the politics of social control; the evolving meanings of motherhood; and new social definitions of carework and the personal transformation of careworkers. Excerpts from the classic works in the field as well as recent cutting-edge research studies support the examination of each of these growing global crises.

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Stanford Social Sciences publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Stanford Social Sciences

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Stanford Social Sciences publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Theories of Social Order: A Reader

Theories of Social Order: A Reader

Culture and Public Action (Stanford Social Sciences)

Is Geography Destiny?: Lessons from Latin America (Latin American Development Forum)

Globalization and Development: A Latin American and Caribbean Perspective (Latin American Development Forum)

Schools and Societies: Second Edition

Building Experiments: Testing Social Theory

Building Experiments: Testing Social Theory

Global Dimensions of Gender and Carework

Global Dimensions of Gender and Carework