The world in the model. How economists work and think [Review]

Bourdieu and Organizational Theory

Though there are numerous studies attempting to describe and analyse the internal dynamics of academic economics, the results of these studies are often contradictory. In order to assess the potential usefulness of certain theoretical tools to the sociology of economics, this study presents and analyses an in-depth interview study of behavioural economists at Swedish universities. The theoretical framework under assessment is derived from the social theory of Pierre Bourdieu and the styles of reasoning approach. Utilizing the concept of styles of scientific reasoning, field theory, capital theory, and the notion of scientific habitus to analyse the rise of behavioural economics into the mainstream of the economics discipline, this study concludes that the theoretical framework provides tools that are very useful in the analysis of social phenomena in academic economics.

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Behavioural Economics as a Style of Reasoning: On the Rise of Psychological and Social Perspectives in Academic Economics

This thesis presents and analyses the results of a bibliometric mapping study of the field of consumer research between 2000 and 2019, aiming to provide a simultaneously descriptive and analytical account of consumer research that identifies the overall structure of the field, as well as the major sub-specializations within it. By utilizing Pierre Bourdieu’s social theory and sociology of science, I analyse the central tendencies exhibited by consumer researchers with regards to the conventions they follow, the literatures they draw from and the way they relate to each other’s texts. My empirical material is made up of bibliometric datasets relating to article publishing in a sample of academic journals specific to consumer research, which I analyse by utilizing the visualization of similarities (VOS) mapping technique and its associated software VOSviewer. After providing sections on previous studies, my theoretical framework, and the methodology I utilize, I present and analyse my findings, wherein I identify several trends within consumer research for the 2000–2019 period. I find that the field is largely split into two main camps, where one focuses on identifying causalities in individual consumer behaviour and the other focuses on social and cultural aspects of consumption. The gap between these two camps increases when comparing the 2000s to the 2010s. I also identify several prominent authorships and articles within consumer research and highlight the strategies by which these achieved prestige within the field, as well as provide a stylized map of the field. (Less)

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William Hagströmer

Papers

Behavioural Economics as a Style of Reasoning: On the Rise of Psychological and Social Perspectives in Academic Economics

Consumer Research in the 2000s and 2010s: A Quantitative Assessment and Qualitative Review