Social Economies

How Society Shapes and is Shaped by Economic Thinking
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-3-032-21915-2
Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan

Buch, Englisch, 330 Seiten, Format (B × H): 148 mm x 210 mm

What are the limits of markets? What moral responsibilities do businesses have? To what extent is individual economic success shaped by personal effort versus social factors?

In  , Lester Hadsell examines these questions across twenty clear chapters, analyzing the connections between economies and society. Drawing on research from economics, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and biological sciences, the book frames economies as networks of social and biological relationships rather than as isolated technical systems.

Part I explores how values influence views of economic systems, contrasting mainstream economics with Marxist, feminist, ecological, and Buddhist perspectives. It concludes that no single “economic way of thinking” exists and considers how far market principles should extend.

Part II addresses the goals societies pursue through their economic systems. Topics include alternatives to growth, economic freedom, and the responsibilities of businesses to customers, workers, suppliers, and communities. Two chapters examine economic inequality, tracing its persistence across generations to social and biological factors.

Part III analyzes social influences on economies—norms, customs, family, religion, and community—through economic and sociological perspectives.

By integrating insights from multiple disciplines, provides readers with tools to analyze economies not as isolated mechanisms but as components of the complex social fabric.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hadsell, Lester

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Wirtschaftspolitik, politische Ökonomie
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Wirtschaftssoziologie, Arbeitssoziologie, Organisationssoziologie
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Volkswirtschaftslehre Allgemein Wirtschaftstheorie, Wirtschaftsphilosophie
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Wohlfahrtsökonomie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1. Paradigms, Ideologies, Alternatives, and Moral Foundations.- Chapter 2. GDP, A Cautionary Tale.- Chapter 3. For the Long-haul: Sustainable Prosperity.- Chapter 4. A Right Livelihood: Meaningful Employment.- Chapter 5. Free to Choose or Free to Protect?.- Chapter 6. Profits: What Else Can Drive Business?.- Chapter 7. Incentives and Rewards.- Chapter 8. Optimal Inequality.- Chapter 9. Unwritten Rules: Social Norms and Customs.- Chapter 10. Written Rules: Religion.- Chapter 11. Family Structure: Marriage and Children.-Chapter 12. Parents: Nature  Nurture.- Chapter 13. Community.- Chapter 14. Conclusion.

Über Autor(innen)

Lester Hadsell  is a lecturer at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His research focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of economics.