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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01 Jun 2007
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the follow-up and spin-off of various participatory backcasting experiments seven to ten years after completion, and identify the factors that affect the emergence and the extent of followup.
Abstract: "Backcasting for a sustainable future: the impact after 10 years" is the first book that systematically investigates the follow-up and spin-off of various participatory backcasting experiments seven to ten years after completion. Backcasting literally means looking back from a desirable future that is constructed first. Since the 1990s sustainable futures and system innovations towards sustainability have been explored in participatory backcasting experiments, numerous stakeholders have been involved and first steps have been planned in line with the envisioned sustainable futures. A methodological framework for participatory backcasting is developed, as well as a conceptual framework. The latter uses various concepts and theories from Leitbilder or future visions, actor learning, stakeholder participation, as well as industrial network theory and institutional theory. Three case studies from the Netherlands are described, each consisting of a backcasting experiment and its follow-up and spin-off after ten years: (1) Novel Protein Foods and meat alternatives; (2) Sustainable Households and Nutrition; and (3) Multiple Sustainable Land-use in rural areas. The cases show that participatory backcasting may, but does not automatically lead to substantial follow-up and spin-off at the level of niches or sets of related niches in the research, business, government and public domains. Various factors are identified that affect the emergence and the extent of follow-up and spin-off; these factors can be both internal and external to the backcasting experiment. Follow-up and spin-off are constituted by networks of actors that have been successful in mobilising sufficient resources for establishing the activities. Future visions from the backcasting experiment provide guidance and orientation to follow-up and spin-off in a decentralised way; they show both stability and flexibility during the emergence of follow-up and spin-off, and are influenced by dynamics like exits and entries in the supporting networks
161 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the self-love view is proposed to integrate self-interest and unselfishness and provide different explanations of the relationship between preferences, behaviour, and outcomes.
Abstract: We revisit the self-interest view on human behaviour and its critique, and propose a framework, called self-love view, that integrates self-interest and unselfishness and provides different explanations of the relationship between preferences, behaviour, and outcomes. Proponents of self-interest as the only valid behavioural assumption argue for simplified assumptions and clear models in order to propose precise prescriptions, while critics to this self-interest view argue for realistic assumptions and rich descriptions in order to reach better explanations. This debate inhibits theoretical development because it faces the problem of incommensurability of standards for choosing among paradigms. We propose the concept of self-love, or the inclination of human beings to strive for their own good and perfection, to remove the assumption self-interest vs. unselfishness. Self-love distinguishes between the object and the subject of motivation and therefore creates a bi-dimensional motivational space. This framework replaces the unidimensional continuum self-interest–unselfishness, specifies eight interrelated motives, and provides different expected relationships between preferences, behaviour, and outcomes. We show that a better understanding of motivational assumptions, their embodiment in theories, and their influence on the very behaviours these theories assume provides managers and policymakers more alternatives for the designing of motivational contexts than in the case of assuming either self-interest or a permanent conflict between self-interest and unselfishness.
161 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...Assumptions embodied in theories, in turn, influence practice through the process of double hermeneutic (Giddens, 1984)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reinterpret the supply chain as a social-ecological system and leave behind a modernist view of SCM, replacing it with a more contemporary vision of "dancing the supply chains".
Abstract: Most of the theories that have dominated supply chain management (SCM) take a reductionist and static view on the supply chain and its management, promoting a global hunt for cheap labor and resources. As a result, supply chains tend to be operated without much concern for their broader contextual environment. This perspective overlooks that supply chains have become both vulnerable and harmful systems. Recent and ongoing crises have emphasized that the structures and processes of supply chains are fluid and interwoven with political‐economic and planetary phenomena. Building on panarchy theory, this article reinterprets the supply chain as a social–ecological system and leaves behind a modernist view of SCM, replacing it with a more contemporary vision of “dancing the supply chain.” A panarchy is a structure of adaptive cycles that are linked across different levels on scales of time, space, and meaning. It represents the world’s complexities more effectively than reductionist and static theories ever could, providing the basis for transformative SCM.
161 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...For many, growth and globalization simply seem to be a timeless and indestructible way of organizing business stabilized by strong structures of signification (see Giddens, 1984)....
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TL;DR: It is argued in this paper that there is great potential of something more virulent than cholera and Ebola emerging and taking a big toll before being identified and controlled, and once such a disease is out in the public rapid diffusion despite political boundaries is likely, a fact that has a direct bearing on global health.
160 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...Structure refers to the various ways in which society channels the actions of agents rather than being determined by rational choice (Giddens, 1984; Atkinson, 1991)....
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TL;DR: This paper introduced a qualitative research method called discourse tracing, which analyzes the formation, interpretation, and appropriation of discursive practices across micro, meso, and macro levels, providing a language for studying social processes, including the facilitation of change and the institution of new routines.
Abstract: This article introduces a qualitative research method called discourse tracing. Discourse tracing draws from contributions made by ethnographers, discourse critics, case study scholars, and process tracers. The approach offers new insights and an attendant language about how we engage in research designed specifically for the critical-interpretive and applied analysis of discourse. More specifically, discourse tracing analyzes the formation, interpretation, and appropriation of discursive practices across micro, meso, and macro levels. In doing so, the method provides a language for studying social processes, including the facilitation of change and the institution of new routines. The article describes the current theoretical and political landscape of qualitative methods and how discourse tracing can provide a particularly helpful methodological tool at this time. Then, drawing from a qualitative study on of school lunch policy, the authors explain how to practice discourse tracing in a step-by-step manner.
160 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...These projects have used a range of theoretical approaches such as poststructuralism and genealogy (Foucault, 1972, 1977, 1980), structuration (Giddens, 1984), participatory action and phronetic research (Flyvbjerg, 2001, 2006; Kemmis & McTaggart, 2000; Reason, 1994), and discourses studies…...
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...These projects have used a range of theoretical approaches such as poststructuralism and genealogy (Foucault, 1972, 1977, 1980), structuration (Giddens, 1984), participatory action and phronetic research (Flyvbjerg, 2001, 2006; Kemmis & McTaggart, 2000; Reason, 1994), and discourses studies (Broadfoot, Deetz, & Anderson, 2004; Fairclough, 1995; Fairhurst & Putnam, 2004)....
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