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Social system
About: Social system is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2974 publications have been published within this topic receiving 92395 citations.
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TL;DR: The concept of status inconsistency has its origin in a macro-structural orientation to sociology; the concept of role conflict has its origins in a somewhat more microstructural view and in social psychological theory as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The idea that a social structure is not necessarily consistent in the demands it imposes on, or in the expectations it generates in, its occupants and the persons who interact with them has served sociology powerfully over a long period of time. This idea is at least implicit, for example, in Marx's analysis of the contradictions in class structure and the dialectic through which these contradictions work themselves out; in Weber's delineation of the multiple principles on which a stratification system can be built; in Sumner's postulate of a strain toward consistency in the elements of culture; in Pareto's treatment of the gap between elite definition and capacity; in Durkheim's vision of the possibilities inherent in the division of labor; in Park's and his students' elaboration of the concept of marginal man; in Thomas' writings on the conflicts of values and attitudes; and in Linton's treatment of the relationships between social system and society. This chapter focuses on two contemporary versions of this basic idea, the concepts of status inconsistency and role conflict, and on their literatures. Our interest is in the consequences of the social structural and normative inconsistencies, contradictions, and conflicts that are the referents of these concepts. The concept of status inconsistency has its origin in a macrostructural orientation to sociology; the concept of role conflict has its origin in a somewhat more microstructural view and in social psychological theoriz-
153 citations
TL;DR: The theory of autopoiesis, that is systems that are self-producing or self-constructing, was originally developed to explain the particular nature of living as opposed to non-living entities.
Abstract: The theory of autopoiesis, that is systems that are self-producing or self-constructing, was originally developed to explain the particular nature of living as opposed to non-living entities. It was subsequently enlarged to encompass cognition and language leading to what is known as second-order cybernetics. However, as with earlier biological theories, many authors have tried to extend the domain of the theory to encompass social systems, the most notable being Luhmann. The purpose of this article is to consider critically the extent to which the theory of autopoiesis, as originally defined, can be applied to social systems - that is, whether social systems are autopoietic. And, if it cannot, whether some weaker version might be appropriate.
152 citations
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: In this article, Thrainn Eggertsson explores recent developments in this field and pushes the discussion forward by allowing for incomplete knowledge of social systems and unexpected system dynamics and, above all, by focusing explicitly on institutional policy.
Abstract: The emergence of New Institutional Economics toward the end of the twentieth century profoundly changed our ideas about the organization of economic systems and their social and political foundations. Imperfect Institutions explores recent developments in this field and pushes the discussion forward by allowing for incomplete knowledge of social systems and unexpected system dynamics and, above all, by focusing explicitly on institutional policy. Empirical studies extending from Africa to Iceland are cited in support of the theoretical argument.In Imperfect Institutions Thrainn Eggertsson extends his attempt to integrate and develop the new field that began with his acclaimed "Economic Behavior and Institutions" (1990), which has been translated into six languages. This latest work analyzes why institutions that create relative economic backwardness emerge and persist and considers the possibilities and limits of institutional reform.Thrainn Eggertsson is Professor of Economics at the University of Iceland and Global Distinguished Professor of Politics at New York University. Previously published works include "Economic Behavior and Institutions" (1990) and "Empirical Studies in Institutional Change" with Lee Alston and Douglass North (1996)."
149 citations
TL;DR: The authors show that the odds of a new friendship nomination were 1.77 times greater within clusters of high school students taking courses together than between them, giving the clusters social salience as “local positions.”
Abstract: Although research on social embeddedness and social capital confirms the value of friendship networks, little has been written about how social relations form and are structured by social institutions. Using data from the Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement study and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the authors show that the odds of a new friendship nomination were 1.77 times greater within clusters of high school students taking courses together than between them. The estimated effect cannot be attributed to exposure to peers in similar grade levels, indirect friendship links, or pair-level course overlap, and the finding is robust to alternative model specifications. The authors also show how tendencies associated with status hierarchy inhering in triadic friendship nominations are neutralized within the clusters. These results have implications for the production and distribution of social capital within social systems such as schools, giving the clusters social salience as ...
148 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that sustainability should define the conceptual focus for the field of public administration in the coming decade, and that the challenge of governance, and thus, public administration, is to sustain each of these systems on its own while maintaining an appropriate balance among them.
Abstract: This article argues that sustainability should define the conceptual focus for the field of public administration in the coming decade. Sustainability involves three systems: environmental, economic, and political/social systems. The challenge of governance, and thus of public administration, is to sustain each of these systems on its own while maintaining an appropriate balance among them. The article defines the sustainability concept, and its environmental component in particular, in ways that are relevant to public administration; assesses the validity of the concept in terms of the interrelationships and interdependencies among the three systems; and suggests the implications for the field. By integrating knowledge and study of the environmental system with the traditional competence in the political/social and economic systems that is expected in the field, public administrators may achieve a more theoretically complete and empirically valid foundation for education, research, and practice.
And just as many apparently insoluble problems have eluded solution until someone discovered the “right” way to view them, so it may be that our failure to cope adequately with certain large and complex problems of our time is a consequence of failure to see the unifying elements in the complexity.
—Lynton K. Caldwell, 1963
148 citations