Economy and State

Should governments be involved in economic affairs? This book argues that this is a flawed question. Challenging prevailing wisdom, Nina Bandelj and Elizabeth Sowers advance a uniquely sociological perspective on economy and state connections to emphasize that states can never be divorced from economy: from income taxes to international tariffs, from consumer protection to corporate governance, the state plays a crucial role in influencing economic outcomes for individuals, firms and nations. The authors bring together classical interventions and cutting-edge contemporary research in economic sociology to discuss five broad areas of economy/state connection: money, labor, firms, national economic growth, and global economic exchange. A wealth of empirical examples and illustrations reveals that though the nature of state influence varies across contexts ETH; be it socialist or capitalist forms of economic organization, domestic or global development strategies ETH; it is always dependent on social forces. This accessible and engaging book will be essential reading for upper-level students of economic sociology, and those interested in the major economic dilemmas of our times.

Nina Bandelj is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine Elizabeth Sowers is a Doctoral Student at the University of California, Irvine