The Economic Sociology of Development

This book provides an introduction to development and underdevelopment, placing various approaches to the definition, measurement, and understanding of "development" against the backdrop of broader sociological debates. It explores sociological thinking about development and underdevelopment informed by the latest currents in economic sociology, using concrete examples from different regions and epochs. It identifies relationships between mainstream and Marxist approaches, develops a parsimonious typology of national development outcomes, addresses cross-border learning and diffusion, considers the roles of religious, racial, and gender identities in the development process, and portrays contemporary global challenges as sociological problems in need of multifaceted solutions.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 16 December 2022
Publisher: Polity Press

This book offers a comprehensive and accessible introduction to development and underdevelopment, bringing the study of international inequality back into the core of sociological theory. It places various approaches to the definition, measurement, and understanding of development against the broader sociological debates.

Author Schrank employs concrete examples from different regions and epochs to explore sociological thinking about development and underdevelopment informed by the latest currents in economic sociology. The book is organized into a series of chapters that examine various aspects of international inequality, including mainstream and Marxist approaches, national development outcomes, cross-border learning and diffusion, the roles of religious, racial, and gender identities in the development process, and contemporary global challenges such as populism, pandemics, and climate change.

Throughout the book, Schrank employs classical and contemporary social theory to develop a parsimonious typology of national development outcomes. He also addresses cross-border learning and diffusion in light of the latest developments in organization theory. The book considers the roles of religious, racial, and gender identities in the development process in different places and times. Moreover, it portrays contemporary global challenges such as populism, pandemics, and climate change as distinctly sociological problems in need of multifaceted solutions.

Enriched with expository figures, tables, and diagrams, this accessible book simultaneously distills and develops the sociological approach to the study of development and underdevelopment for both undergraduate and graduate students across the social sciences. It serves as a valuable resource for scholars and students interested in understanding the complex dynamics of development and inequality in the global context.

Weight: 354g
Dimension: 215 x 160 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509505265