CENTER FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES SUMMER INSTITUTE
Economy and Society: Trajectories of Capitalism
July 11 through August 10, 2006
Cost of Living and Travel Allowance: $5,000
Directors:
Neil Fligstein, Professor of Sociology
Columbia University and University of California Berkeley
Walter W. Powell, Professor of Education, Sociology, Organizational
Behavior, and Communication
Stanford University
PURPOSE AND TOPICS
The British political historian and social critic Eric Hobsbawm wryly
commented that capitalism is a moving target. The quest for profit and
novelty at the core of the capitalist engine fuels both dynamism and
restlessness, but the institutional underpinnings political, social, and
cultural of the economy generate variety and shape direction.
Consequently, we observe considerable diversity in the organization of
contemporary economies and polities.
The purpose of this workshop is to explore the connections between economy
and society, and analyze the myriad ways in which national social,
political, and educational institutions contribute to producing distinctive
trajectories of capitalist development. More concretely, the types of
questions we are interested in include:
· Can economies with high rates of technological innovation and
experimentation co-exist with policies that support workplace security and
equity?
· Which institutional arrangements create barriers to the
introduction of new ideas and policies and undermine the collective welfare
of citizens?
· How do we account for developing nations that combine rapid rates
of economic growth and technologically sophisticated industries, with
enduring patterns of poverty and inequality?
· What are the consequences of policies that support entrepreneurial
activity but force workers to bear the brunt of economic dislocations?
· What kinds of political, social, and economic institutions enable
private enterprise to invest in learning and promote growth while providing
some degree of stability and social protection?
Participants will share ideas, insights, and perspectives from their field
and work to expand our understanding of these shared theoretical
questions. Through daily group meetings, research presentations, readings,
and informal discussions, the summer institute will promote the exchange of
views and information and thereby enrich the thinking of all participants.
Eminent senior scholars will join the discussions. We expect scholars to
work on a paper or research project as part of their participation in the
ongoing seminar. An important objective of the institute is to help younger
scholars develop promising research projects.
ELIGIBILITY
All applicants must hold a doctoral degree. Those eligible to apply
include junior faculty, and scholars who are affiliated with four-year
colleges or with colleges and universities attended predominantly by
minority students, or with non-U.S. universities. We welcome young
scholars from a diversity of theoretical approaches and disciplines,
including but not limited to those working on national innovation or
business systems, political economy, comparative politics, varieties of
capitalism, and economic sociology. Applicants will be asked to explain
the reasons for their interest in the institute and the relevance of the
topic to their scholarly research.
LOCATION
The Center is located on a hillside overlooking the Stanford University
campus. Comfortable studies in beautiful surroundings will be provided.
An added advantage for the participants is the intellectual contact with
Center Fellows who will be in residence during the summer.
HOUSING
Housing is available on the Stanford University campus and in nearby
communities. A member of the Center staff will help participants find
suitable housing.
SUPPORT
The institute is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. It is the
seventeenth summer institute to be held at the Center for Advanced Study in
the Behavioral Sciences.
APPLICATION
The deadline for submission of applications is January 9, 2006. For an
application form, write to Summer Institute, Center for Advanced Study in
the Behavioral Sciences, 75 Alta Road, Stanford, CA 94305, or email
info@casbs.stanford.edu (please put Summer Institute in your Subject
line).