Rational Choice Theory: Resisting Colonisation

Rational Choice Theoryis the first book length critique of this theory, dominant in sociology outside the UK and now making in roads in the UK, and increasingly influential in other disciplines. This controversial volume argues that the theory is an inadequate way in which to evaluate decision making inadequate in terms of: * the individuals who make the decisions * the process by which decisions get made * the context within which decisions get made. The critique focuses on the four assumptions which are the bedrock of rational choice; rationality, individualism, process and aggregation and draws on a wide range of social issues, including race, marriage, health and education.

Margaret S. Archer of is Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick and is a former editor of Current Sociology. Jonathan Q. Tritter is a lecturer in Sociology at the University of Warwick.