Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@@The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration.
TL;DR: Giddens as mentioned in this paper has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade and outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form.
Abstract: Anthony Giddens has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade. In "The Constitution of Society" he outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form. A particular feature is Giddens' concern to connect abstract problems of theory to an interpretation of the nature of empirical method in the social sciences. In presenting his own ideas, Giddens mounts a critical attack on some of the more orthodox sociological views. "The Constitution of Society" is an invaluable reference book for all those concerned with the basic issues in contemporary social theory.
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TL;DR: The authors developed a rigorous concept of institutions to investigate the interrelationships between institutional and economic change from the perspective of economic geography, and explored three modes of institutional change: hysteresis, emergent change, and institutional entrepreneurship.
Abstract: This paper develops a rigorous concept of institutions to investigate the interrelationships between institutional and economic change from the perspective of economic geography. We view institutions neither as behavioural regularities nor as organizations or rules, but conceive institutions as stabilizations of mutual expectations and correlated interaction. The paper discusses how economic interaction in space is shaped by existing institutions, how this leads to economic decisions and new rounds of action, and how their intended and unintended consequences impact or enact new/existing institutions. The paper explores three modes of institutional change – hysteresis, emergent change, and institutional entrepreneurship.
203 citations
Cites background or methods from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...While our conceptualization draws from Giddens’ (1984) work to overcome the duality between structure and agency, our arguments are also related to findings from actor-network theory (Latour, 1986), the theory of social systems (Luhmann, 1984), and Foucault’s (1980a, 1980b) work on the micro…...
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...Here, Giddens (1984) distinguishes a discursive and a practical consciousness from which actors draw their ability to find reasons for their actions....
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...This leads to a reflexive dynamic, which Giddens (1984) refers to as the stratification model of action....
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...In addressing the conceptual duality of structure and agency, Giddens (1984) suggests a potential solution to the macro/micro dualism: If interpretative sociologies are founded, as it were, upon an imperialism of the subject, functionalism and structuralism propose an imperialism of the social…...
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...Social structure is a virtual order of transformational relations that continuously reproduce social practice (Giddens, 1984)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, a circumspect appraisal of the recent controversies surrounding an "institutional turn" in economic geography and urban and regional studies is presented. But, although the prevailing institutionalist perspectives undoubtedly yield many welcome innovations and useful departures, they are also beset by certain conceptual difficulties.
Abstract: This author offers a circumspect appraisal of the recent controversies surrounding an ‘institutional turn’ in economic geography and urban and regional studies. He contends that, although the prevailing institutionalist perspectives undoubtedly yield many welcome innovations and useful departures, they are also beset by certain conceptual difficulties. These include, first, a thin political economy most discernible in the failure to appreciate fully the crucial role of the state in shaping the urban – regional process, and a related weakness in examining the asymmetries of power which enframe the governance of space economies. Second, there is a danger of drifting towards a soft institutionalism: a tautological trap that could invite researchers and policymakers mistakenly to envisage the presence or otherwise of a regional ‘institutional thickness’ or a local ‘social capital’ as an adequate explanation of uneven economic development. It is then contended that one relatively mature but continually evolvin...
203 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...(5) It is interesting here how the methodological aspirations of `old' institutionalists loosely resonate with a structurationist reading of social change (Giddens, 1984; Thrift, 1983)....
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TL;DR: Action research was intended to be emancipatory research, and it still is as discussed by the authors, and the most important task of action researchers is to develop refined heuristics concerning this communication.
Abstract: Right from the start. action research was intended to be emancipatory research, and it still is. This article will underpin this by outlining its history and the present state of the art. Though a variety of action research approaches have developed along divergent theoretical pathways, it will be stressed that these approaches share the most important characteristics of action research and are basically different applications of different action theories. They are all Supported by a participatory worldview and are meant to be a double-sided process of research. self research and education directed at individual empowerment and collective empowerment and/or emancipation. Since the relationship between the researcher and the subjects being researched is crucial for the success of action research as ail emancipatory or empowering activity. this article will maintain that the most important task of action researchers is to develop refined heuristics concerning this communication. The article will end by making some recommendations for the improvement of action research as ail emancipatory practice. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.
203 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...In the last decades of the twentieth century, Giddens (1976, 1984) , Habermas (1981), and Touraine (1965, 1978) developed general action theories which 432 B. W. M. Boog...
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...Action is reflexively monitored continuously ( Giddens, 1984 )....
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TL;DR: This article explored the antecedents of collaboration from the perspective of social change organizations engaged in processes of collaborative governance using a constructionist lens, and identified five leadership practices that foster strong relational bonds either within organizations or across boundaries with others.
Abstract: Attention to the relational dimensions of leadership represents a new frontier of leadership research and is an expression of the growing scholarly interest in the conditions that foster collective action within and across boundaries. This article explores the antecedents of collaboration from the perspective of social change organizations engaged in processes of collaborative governance. Using a constructionist lens, the study illuminates the question how do social change leaders secure the connectedness needed for collaborative work to advance their organization's mission? The article draws on data from a national, multi-year, multi-modal qualitative study of social change organizations and their leaders. These organizations represent disenfranchised communities which aspire to influence policy makers and other social actors to change the conditions that affect their members' lives. Narrative analysis of transcripts from in-depth interviews in 38 organizations yielded five leadership practices that foster strong relational bonds either within organizations or across boundaries with others. The article describes how these practices nurture interdependence either by forging new connections, strengthening existing ones, or capitalizing on strong ones.
202 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the use of graphic artifacts, particularly files, in the ritual construction of collective bureaucratic authority and agents, and highlight the relationship between the material qualities and dispositions of artifacts and the semiotic processes they mediate.
202 citations
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