This paper presents results from a collaborative research project investigating European scholars... more This paper presents results from a collaborative research project investigating European scholars from the social sciences and humanities (SSH) who acted as public intellectuals during the 2014 European Parliament (EP) election campaign. We analyze op-ed contributions published in 21 broadsheet newspapers and in 9 EU member states, written by 195 authors who contributed 262 articles. The result is a portrait of European SSH scholars acting as public intellectuals. It shows a clear overrepresentation of male authors of advanced age. Academic reputation and public prestige show an east-west divide, with prominent authors prevalently publishing in renowned "West European" newspapers. Disciplinary background offers the most noticeable differentiations. Political scientists are most active, however, predominantly publishing in domestic settings. By contrast, economists reach out to a wider international audience and write explicitly on EU matters, while intervening sociologists and philosophers, as the most senior intellectuals, examine Europe in its wider international and historical context. Correspondence analysis comprising the content of public interventions, and key characteristics of all contributors, suggests that even during the EU electoral campaign, scholars from the SSH do not necessarily contribute to the rise of a European public sphere, as their interventions are more domestic than European in focus.
KZfSS Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, 2012
Zusammenfassung: der beitrag untersucht den Einfluss sozialstruktureller Faktoren auf die homosex... more Zusammenfassung: der beitrag untersucht den Einfluss sozialstruktureller Faktoren auf die homosexuellenverfolgung während der nationalsozialistischen herrschaft und in der Zweiten Republik Österreichs. bisherige lokalstudien für deutschland kamen zu dem Schluss, dass die Mittelschicht stärker als oder im gleichen Ausmaße wie die unterschicht Opfer staatlich legitimierter und von gerichten getragener homophobie war. Eine Analyse von Akten österreichischer landesgerichte bestätigt diesen befund zum Teil, weist jedoch vor allem die Arbeiterschaft als hauptopfergruppe aus. bei der länge der verhängten Freiheitsstrafe ließen sich nur marginale differenzen zwischen sozialen Schichten finden. die starke Variation der betroffenen berufsgruppen in den Zeiträumen 1938-1944 und 1945-1955 legt eine Planmäßigkeit der Verfolgung nahe, über deren ursachen aufgrund der spärlichen daten lediglich hypothesen aufgestellt werden können.
This study is the first to systematically identify the most recognized scholars in sociology in t... more This study is the first to systematically identify the most recognized scholars in sociology in the 1970s and 2010s by citation counts. This is achieved on the basis of a newly generated text corpus of approximately 49,000 pages, which encompasses various genres of literature (encyclopedias, handbooks, journals, textbooks). Investigations into common characteristics reveal that, in the 1970s, elites typically received their PhD from Columbia University, Harvard University, or the University of Chicago. The contemporary elite is partly European. In general, eminence is short-lived (<40 years). Over time, the elite has remained socially heterogeneous, but becomes more mobile and increasingly moves between universities. Coverage in specialist and generalist journals suggests that elite status in sociology cannot be achieved simply by dominating multiple communities inside sociology; elite sociologists are typically well received in the discipline's core.
This article addresses two questions. First, when do people consider the rich to be deserving? A ... more This article addresses two questions. First, when do people consider the rich to be deserving? A literature survey reveals that it is first and foremost the origin of great wealth that determine public attitudes towards the rich. Rich people "deserve" to be rich if their wealth is perceived as having resulted from competence and hard work rather than from inheritance. Second, who are the rich? Drawing on data from the second wave of the European Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS), it is found that multimillionaire households benefit disproportionately from wealth transfers. Large gifts and bequests alone, however, are not good predictors of rich household status. It is rather the highly educated top heir running a (family) business that best represents the rich in Europe. Such entrepreneurs who benefit from earned and unearned financial resources neither fully correspond to nor contradict the existing public beliefs in the "deservingness" of the rich. It is argued that, while still underresearched, it is the "hybrid rich" that dominate in the twenty-first-century capitalism that is marked by historically high levels of wealth inequality alongside inefficiencies in tax systems.
Philipp Korom: The Rise of the Expert Intellectuals. A Critical Analysis of Bourdieu´s Sociology ... more Philipp Korom: The Rise of the Expert Intellectuals. A Critical Analysis of Bourdieu´s Sociology of Intellectuals The contribution presents a new type of the intellectual: the expert intellectual. Up until now, experts and intellectuals were considered two distinct categories in the social sciences. Recently, however, we witness a transformation of the classical concept of the intellectual that can be analyzed only by using hybridization methods. Expert intellectuals, who typically work for universities or think tanks, possess specialized knowledge and envision their social role to be charged with political responsibility. They strive to fashion public opinion in their statements, which is unusual for pure experts. In order to empirically examine whether expert intellectuals fulfill some of the classical functions of the intellectual, I conduct a content analysis of op-eds written by the most prominent contributors for the world’s largest newspaper syndicate (»Project Syndicate«). A...
This article sets out to investigate the neglected role of academic gatekeeping in professional r... more This article sets out to investigate the neglected role of academic gatekeeping in professional recruitment by studying 1,460 recommendation letters written by the eminent Columbia University sociologist Robert K. Merton (RKM). Partly solicited by academic selection committees and mostly out of enthusiasm for promising scholarship, RKM delivered thorough descriptions of about 560 different candidates with the intention of opening “gates” to academic appointments. In his evaluations of former students, RKM used mostly (merit-based) academic and personal criteria while also commenting on analytical skills or work ethic. In general, the skilled writer RKM developed in his letters a compelling prose style of affirmation that presented his protégés in the best of all lights, which partly explains his effectiveness as gate-opener. A systematic match of information from recommendations with all available CVs yields that the “success rate” of RKM’s efforts varies between 87 percent for promotions to professorship and 43 percent for external candidates applying for full professorships.
This article compares the career trajectories and mobility patterns of Nobel Laureates in economi... more This article compares the career trajectories and mobility patterns of Nobel Laureates in economics with those of highly cited sociologists to evaluate a theory advanced by Richard Whitley that postulates a nexus between the overall intellectual structure of a discipline and the composition of its elite. The theory predicts that the most eminent scholars in internally fragmented disciplines such as sociology will vary in their departmental affiliations and academic career paths, while disciplines such as economics with strong linkages between specialties and shared standards of excellence will be dominated by a more homogeneous elite. The comparison provides strong empirical evidence in favor of Whitley's theory. The careers of the most eminent economists are closely tied to the top five departments of the discipline, whereas the career pathways to eminence in sociology are largely unpredictable.
Der Beitrag untersucht den Einfluss sozialstruktureller Faktoren auf die homosexuellenve... more Der Beitrag untersucht den Einfluss sozialstruktureller Faktoren auf die homosexuellenverfolgung während der nationalsozialistischen herrschaft und in der Zweiten Republik Österreichs. bisherige lokalstudien für deutschland kamen zu dem Schluss, dass die Mittelschicht stärker als oder im gleichen Ausmaße wie die unterschicht Opfer staatlich legiti- mierter und von gerichten getragener homophobie war. Eine Analyse von Akten österreichischer landesgerichte bestätigt diesen befund zum Teil, weist jedoch vor allem die Arbeiterschaft als hauptopfergruppe aus. bei der länge der verhängten Freiheitsstrafe ließen sich nur marginale dif- ferenzen zwischen sozialen Schichten finden. die starke Variation der betroffenen berufsgruppen in den Zeiträumen 1938–1944 und 1945–1955 legt eine Planmäßigkeit der Verfolgung nahe, über deren ursachen aufgrund der spärlichen daten lediglich hypothesen aufgestellt werden können.
The middle class has for the first time in history acquired a significant proportion of private ... more The middle class has for the first time in history acquired a significant proportion of private wealth. But is (inherited) wealth rather equally distributed in the middle of German society, or are there noteworthy wealth gaps? To answer this question, this article investigates differ- ences with regard to real estate and inheritance on the basis of the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS). If one departs from a purely income-based definition of the German middle classes, one finds a very low degree of homeownership and very few inheriting households in the lower middle class (< 80 percent of the median income). The middle class in the narrow sense (<150 percent of the median income) distinguishes itself from the upper middle class (< 250 percent of the median income) not so much through inheritance or homeownership, but rather through the ownership of other (income generating) real estate. The wealth perspective reveals above all a lower middle class (about 16 percent of the popula- tion) that, if not backed by the welfare state, is extremely vulnerable. These are renters who are unable to secure their standard of living in the medium or long term by drawing on private assets or inheritance only. Reduced old-age pensions may endanger these households.
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2015
The term 'elite' was introduced to the vocabulary of the social sciences in the late nineteenth c... more The term 'elite' was introduced to the vocabulary of the social sciences in the late nineteenth century by Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto, Gaetano Mosca, and Robert Michels developed classic elite theories in opposition to the Marxist belief that a popular proletarian regime would yield democratization. A ruling minority, so the basic theorem goes, will always out-organize large majorities. Contrary to the classics, the social sciences since World War II have mostly treated elites and democracy as reconcilable. Technical terms such as 'strategic elites' (Keller) were widely used to refer to incumbents of top positions in the various social sectors. The 'functionalist' or 'pluralist' school of thought departs from the idea of heterogeneity. 'Critical elite theory' claims that, even in modern democracies, economically based social hierarchies are reproduced, thereby giving rise to a single dominant class.
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences,, 2015
While social scientists had been drawing on the abstract idea of social networks clearly since th... more While social scientists had been drawing on the abstract idea of social networks clearly since the nineteenth century, which becomes most evident in Georg Simmel’s formal sociology, a social network analysis (SNA) grounded in computational models and graphic imagery emerged within the field of small group research in the 1930s. It was Jacob Moreno who introduced the idea of depicting social structure as a network diagram (‘sociometry’). Kurt Lewin was an early contributor to the promotion of mathematical models of group relations, and Fritz Heider focused on triads to theorize on what throws groups out of balance. Mostly independent of these ideas, the anthropologist Lloyd Warner adopted a network approach in the study of informal relations between workers and of communities. SNA was further applied by the Manchester school of anthropologists to enhance ethnographic description. Advancing mathematical-formal aspects of SNA at Harvard in the 1970s, Harrison C. White and his collaborators contributed to the establishment of the discipline as a recognized paradigm. In the late 1990s, physicists began to publish work on social networks. Today, SNA has become a multidisciplinary research specialty with distinct theoretical concepts and data-analytic techniques.
Österreichische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, 2012
One of the features of organized Austrian capitalism is a tightly knit corporate network that fac... more One of the features of organized Austrian capitalism is a tightly knit corporate network that facilitates the control and coordination among companies (“Austria Inc.”). In the 80ies the subsidiaries of the Austrian industry-holding stock company (ÖIAG) and the largest banks were the central hubs of the network. Thirty years later the ÖIAG has privatized nearly all its companies, banks merged, dissolved their industry holding, and joined international business groups. Nevertheless, “Austria Inc.” has not eroded. On the basis of an empirical analysis of interlocked directorates, considering the time frame 1976–2000, this article investigates which reconfigurations facilitate to perpetuate “Austria Inc.” The analysis suggests three explanations: Despite the extensive privatization of Austrian economy, national owners continue to prevail within the network. The banking group Raiffeisen filled the gap that was opened by the withdrawal of the state from the economic sphere. Members of the Austrian elite still use board meetings for social networking.
In intersectionality research capitalism is often analyzed as a social order that systematically ... more In intersectionality research capitalism is often analyzed as a social order that systematically produces social inequalities. Particularly the feminist literature describes capitalism as a set of gendered institutions that enforces patriarchal control structures. This paper does not engage in a critique of capitalism. Instead, it follows a strictly analytical perspective in order to discuss the basic structure, the culture and the institutions of modern capitalism with respect to gender equality. The paper argues that modern capitalism in general is neutral in respect of gender issues. discriminations against women are caused by traditional gender stereotypes and concrete institutional settings that can be changed without tearing at the very fabric of modern capitalism.
This paper presents results from a collaborative research project investigating European scholars... more This paper presents results from a collaborative research project investigating European scholars from the social sciences and humanities (SSH) who acted as public intellectuals during the 2014 European Parliament (EP) election campaign. We analyze op-ed contributions published in 21 broadsheet newspapers and in 9 EU member states, written by 195 authors who contributed 262 articles. The result is a portrait of European SSH scholars acting as public intellectuals. It shows a clear overrepresentation of male authors of advanced age. Academic reputation and public prestige show an east-west divide, with prominent authors prevalently publishing in renowned "West European" newspapers. Disciplinary background offers the most noticeable differentiations. Political scientists are most active, however, predominantly publishing in domestic settings. By contrast, economists reach out to a wider international audience and write explicitly on EU matters, while intervening sociologists and philosophers, as the most senior intellectuals, examine Europe in its wider international and historical context. Correspondence analysis comprising the content of public interventions, and key characteristics of all contributors, suggests that even during the EU electoral campaign, scholars from the SSH do not necessarily contribute to the rise of a European public sphere, as their interventions are more domestic than European in focus.
KZfSS Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, 2012
Zusammenfassung: der beitrag untersucht den Einfluss sozialstruktureller Faktoren auf die homosex... more Zusammenfassung: der beitrag untersucht den Einfluss sozialstruktureller Faktoren auf die homosexuellenverfolgung während der nationalsozialistischen herrschaft und in der Zweiten Republik Österreichs. bisherige lokalstudien für deutschland kamen zu dem Schluss, dass die Mittelschicht stärker als oder im gleichen Ausmaße wie die unterschicht Opfer staatlich legitimierter und von gerichten getragener homophobie war. Eine Analyse von Akten österreichischer landesgerichte bestätigt diesen befund zum Teil, weist jedoch vor allem die Arbeiterschaft als hauptopfergruppe aus. bei der länge der verhängten Freiheitsstrafe ließen sich nur marginale differenzen zwischen sozialen Schichten finden. die starke Variation der betroffenen berufsgruppen in den Zeiträumen 1938-1944 und 1945-1955 legt eine Planmäßigkeit der Verfolgung nahe, über deren ursachen aufgrund der spärlichen daten lediglich hypothesen aufgestellt werden können.
This study is the first to systematically identify the most recognized scholars in sociology in t... more This study is the first to systematically identify the most recognized scholars in sociology in the 1970s and 2010s by citation counts. This is achieved on the basis of a newly generated text corpus of approximately 49,000 pages, which encompasses various genres of literature (encyclopedias, handbooks, journals, textbooks). Investigations into common characteristics reveal that, in the 1970s, elites typically received their PhD from Columbia University, Harvard University, or the University of Chicago. The contemporary elite is partly European. In general, eminence is short-lived (<40 years). Over time, the elite has remained socially heterogeneous, but becomes more mobile and increasingly moves between universities. Coverage in specialist and generalist journals suggests that elite status in sociology cannot be achieved simply by dominating multiple communities inside sociology; elite sociologists are typically well received in the discipline's core.
This article addresses two questions. First, when do people consider the rich to be deserving? A ... more This article addresses two questions. First, when do people consider the rich to be deserving? A literature survey reveals that it is first and foremost the origin of great wealth that determine public attitudes towards the rich. Rich people "deserve" to be rich if their wealth is perceived as having resulted from competence and hard work rather than from inheritance. Second, who are the rich? Drawing on data from the second wave of the European Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS), it is found that multimillionaire households benefit disproportionately from wealth transfers. Large gifts and bequests alone, however, are not good predictors of rich household status. It is rather the highly educated top heir running a (family) business that best represents the rich in Europe. Such entrepreneurs who benefit from earned and unearned financial resources neither fully correspond to nor contradict the existing public beliefs in the "deservingness" of the rich. It is argued that, while still underresearched, it is the "hybrid rich" that dominate in the twenty-first-century capitalism that is marked by historically high levels of wealth inequality alongside inefficiencies in tax systems.
Philipp Korom: The Rise of the Expert Intellectuals. A Critical Analysis of Bourdieu´s Sociology ... more Philipp Korom: The Rise of the Expert Intellectuals. A Critical Analysis of Bourdieu´s Sociology of Intellectuals The contribution presents a new type of the intellectual: the expert intellectual. Up until now, experts and intellectuals were considered two distinct categories in the social sciences. Recently, however, we witness a transformation of the classical concept of the intellectual that can be analyzed only by using hybridization methods. Expert intellectuals, who typically work for universities or think tanks, possess specialized knowledge and envision their social role to be charged with political responsibility. They strive to fashion public opinion in their statements, which is unusual for pure experts. In order to empirically examine whether expert intellectuals fulfill some of the classical functions of the intellectual, I conduct a content analysis of op-eds written by the most prominent contributors for the world’s largest newspaper syndicate (»Project Syndicate«). A...
This article sets out to investigate the neglected role of academic gatekeeping in professional r... more This article sets out to investigate the neglected role of academic gatekeeping in professional recruitment by studying 1,460 recommendation letters written by the eminent Columbia University sociologist Robert K. Merton (RKM). Partly solicited by academic selection committees and mostly out of enthusiasm for promising scholarship, RKM delivered thorough descriptions of about 560 different candidates with the intention of opening “gates” to academic appointments. In his evaluations of former students, RKM used mostly (merit-based) academic and personal criteria while also commenting on analytical skills or work ethic. In general, the skilled writer RKM developed in his letters a compelling prose style of affirmation that presented his protégés in the best of all lights, which partly explains his effectiveness as gate-opener. A systematic match of information from recommendations with all available CVs yields that the “success rate” of RKM’s efforts varies between 87 percent for promotions to professorship and 43 percent for external candidates applying for full professorships.
This article compares the career trajectories and mobility patterns of Nobel Laureates in economi... more This article compares the career trajectories and mobility patterns of Nobel Laureates in economics with those of highly cited sociologists to evaluate a theory advanced by Richard Whitley that postulates a nexus between the overall intellectual structure of a discipline and the composition of its elite. The theory predicts that the most eminent scholars in internally fragmented disciplines such as sociology will vary in their departmental affiliations and academic career paths, while disciplines such as economics with strong linkages between specialties and shared standards of excellence will be dominated by a more homogeneous elite. The comparison provides strong empirical evidence in favor of Whitley's theory. The careers of the most eminent economists are closely tied to the top five departments of the discipline, whereas the career pathways to eminence in sociology are largely unpredictable.
Der Beitrag untersucht den Einfluss sozialstruktureller Faktoren auf die homosexuellenve... more Der Beitrag untersucht den Einfluss sozialstruktureller Faktoren auf die homosexuellenverfolgung während der nationalsozialistischen herrschaft und in der Zweiten Republik Österreichs. bisherige lokalstudien für deutschland kamen zu dem Schluss, dass die Mittelschicht stärker als oder im gleichen Ausmaße wie die unterschicht Opfer staatlich legiti- mierter und von gerichten getragener homophobie war. Eine Analyse von Akten österreichischer landesgerichte bestätigt diesen befund zum Teil, weist jedoch vor allem die Arbeiterschaft als hauptopfergruppe aus. bei der länge der verhängten Freiheitsstrafe ließen sich nur marginale dif- ferenzen zwischen sozialen Schichten finden. die starke Variation der betroffenen berufsgruppen in den Zeiträumen 1938–1944 und 1945–1955 legt eine Planmäßigkeit der Verfolgung nahe, über deren ursachen aufgrund der spärlichen daten lediglich hypothesen aufgestellt werden können.
The middle class has for the first time in history acquired a significant proportion of private ... more The middle class has for the first time in history acquired a significant proportion of private wealth. But is (inherited) wealth rather equally distributed in the middle of German society, or are there noteworthy wealth gaps? To answer this question, this article investigates differ- ences with regard to real estate and inheritance on the basis of the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS). If one departs from a purely income-based definition of the German middle classes, one finds a very low degree of homeownership and very few inheriting households in the lower middle class (< 80 percent of the median income). The middle class in the narrow sense (<150 percent of the median income) distinguishes itself from the upper middle class (< 250 percent of the median income) not so much through inheritance or homeownership, but rather through the ownership of other (income generating) real estate. The wealth perspective reveals above all a lower middle class (about 16 percent of the popula- tion) that, if not backed by the welfare state, is extremely vulnerable. These are renters who are unable to secure their standard of living in the medium or long term by drawing on private assets or inheritance only. Reduced old-age pensions may endanger these households.
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2015
The term 'elite' was introduced to the vocabulary of the social sciences in the late nineteenth c... more The term 'elite' was introduced to the vocabulary of the social sciences in the late nineteenth century by Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto, Gaetano Mosca, and Robert Michels developed classic elite theories in opposition to the Marxist belief that a popular proletarian regime would yield democratization. A ruling minority, so the basic theorem goes, will always out-organize large majorities. Contrary to the classics, the social sciences since World War II have mostly treated elites and democracy as reconcilable. Technical terms such as 'strategic elites' (Keller) were widely used to refer to incumbents of top positions in the various social sectors. The 'functionalist' or 'pluralist' school of thought departs from the idea of heterogeneity. 'Critical elite theory' claims that, even in modern democracies, economically based social hierarchies are reproduced, thereby giving rise to a single dominant class.
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences,, 2015
While social scientists had been drawing on the abstract idea of social networks clearly since th... more While social scientists had been drawing on the abstract idea of social networks clearly since the nineteenth century, which becomes most evident in Georg Simmel’s formal sociology, a social network analysis (SNA) grounded in computational models and graphic imagery emerged within the field of small group research in the 1930s. It was Jacob Moreno who introduced the idea of depicting social structure as a network diagram (‘sociometry’). Kurt Lewin was an early contributor to the promotion of mathematical models of group relations, and Fritz Heider focused on triads to theorize on what throws groups out of balance. Mostly independent of these ideas, the anthropologist Lloyd Warner adopted a network approach in the study of informal relations between workers and of communities. SNA was further applied by the Manchester school of anthropologists to enhance ethnographic description. Advancing mathematical-formal aspects of SNA at Harvard in the 1970s, Harrison C. White and his collaborators contributed to the establishment of the discipline as a recognized paradigm. In the late 1990s, physicists began to publish work on social networks. Today, SNA has become a multidisciplinary research specialty with distinct theoretical concepts and data-analytic techniques.
Österreichische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, 2012
One of the features of organized Austrian capitalism is a tightly knit corporate network that fac... more One of the features of organized Austrian capitalism is a tightly knit corporate network that facilitates the control and coordination among companies (“Austria Inc.”). In the 80ies the subsidiaries of the Austrian industry-holding stock company (ÖIAG) and the largest banks were the central hubs of the network. Thirty years later the ÖIAG has privatized nearly all its companies, banks merged, dissolved their industry holding, and joined international business groups. Nevertheless, “Austria Inc.” has not eroded. On the basis of an empirical analysis of interlocked directorates, considering the time frame 1976–2000, this article investigates which reconfigurations facilitate to perpetuate “Austria Inc.” The analysis suggests three explanations: Despite the extensive privatization of Austrian economy, national owners continue to prevail within the network. The banking group Raiffeisen filled the gap that was opened by the withdrawal of the state from the economic sphere. Members of the Austrian elite still use board meetings for social networking.
In intersectionality research capitalism is often analyzed as a social order that systematically ... more In intersectionality research capitalism is often analyzed as a social order that systematically produces social inequalities. Particularly the feminist literature describes capitalism as a set of gendered institutions that enforces patriarchal control structures. This paper does not engage in a critique of capitalism. Instead, it follows a strictly analytical perspective in order to discuss the basic structure, the culture and the institutions of modern capitalism with respect to gender equality. The paper argues that modern capitalism in general is neutral in respect of gender issues. discriminations against women are caused by traditional gender stereotypes and concrete institutional settings that can be changed without tearing at the very fabric of modern capitalism.
In der Soziologie wird die Wirtschaft als Teil der Gesellschaft und somit als Teil jener sinnhaft... more In der Soziologie wird die Wirtschaft als Teil der Gesellschaft und somit als Teil jener sinnhaft konstruierten, sozialen Wirklichkeit gesehen, die in zwischen-menschlichen Interaktionen reproduziert und modifiziert wird (→ Soziale Kon-struktion der Wirklichkeit). Die in den Wirtschaftswissenschaften dominierende Vorstellung eines homo oeconomicus, der keine Vergangenheit kennt, auf Stimuli rational reagiert und ohne Rücksicht auf seine soziale Umwelt nach Maximierung des Eigennutzens strebt, gilt in der Soziologie wenig. Vielmehr dominiert die Perspektive, dass wirtschaftliches Handeln nur als Teil von gesell-schaftlichem Handeln verstanden werden kann. Diese Perspektive ist auch der theoretische Ausgangspunkt der Neuen Wirtschaftssoziologie (NW), die darin in der Gründergeneration der Soziologie (Durkheim, Marx, Weber) einen wich-tigen Vorläufer hat. Spätestens ab den 1920/30er Jahren bildete sich jedoch eine Arbeitsteilung zwischen Ökonomie und Soziologie heraus, die dazu führte, dass sich Soziologen nur noch mit Randbereichen der Wirtschaft beschäftigten und Ökonomen so tun konnten, als ob die Wirtschaft von der Gesellschaft abgekoppelt sei. Ab den 1980er Jahren begannen Wirtschaftssoziologen das Erklärungsmonopol der Ökonomen grundsätzlich in Frage zu stellen. In der NW wird das Verhalten von Haushalten und Firmen sowie das Funk-tionieren von Märkten und Volkswirtschaften zumeist aus Kognitionen, Netz-werken, Machtkonstellationen und Institutionen hergeleitet. Auf der Mikro-Ebene wird gezeigt, wie Konsumenten Produkte bewerten. Auf der Meso-Ebene erforscht die NW, wie Netzwerke ökonomisches Handeln strukturieren und wie Institutionen die Produktion, den Wettbewerb oder die Preisbildung beeinflussen. Auf der Makro-Ebene geht es in der NW darum, ganze kapitalisti-sche Marktordnungen zu verstehen.
Die Vorstellung, dass der Mensch nicht als gänzlich autonomer, von anderen unabhängiger homo clau... more Die Vorstellung, dass der Mensch nicht als gänzlich autonomer, von anderen unabhängiger homo clausus, sondern vielmehr als gesellschaftliches Wesen aufzu-fassen ist, war stets der Ausgangspunkt der sozialwissenschaftlichen Theoriebil-dung. Erste weitreichende Überlegungen zu den Folgewirkungen struktureller Einbettung von Akteuren in soziale Kontexte finden sich in dem Werk des deutschen Soziologen Georg Simmel (1858-1918). So besprach Simmel als erster die Wirkung der Gruppengröße auf soziale Prozesse und untersuchte Wechselwirkungen in Dreiergruppen, sog. Triaden. Neben diesen theoretischen Grundlagen spielte in der Entwicklung der Forschungen zu sozialen Netzwer-ken auch die Übernahme von Visualisierungstechniken aus der mathematischen Graphentheorie eine Rolle. Frühe graphische Darstellungen von Beziehungen zwischen Individuen (»Soziogramme«) wurden u.a. von dem Psychiater Jacob L. Moreno (1889-1974) systematisch angefertigt. Beispielgebend wurden hier bereits Personen als Punkte (Knoten) dargestellt und die Beziehungen unterei-nander als Linien (Kanten). Ab den 1940er Jahren wurden die Methoden der sozialen Netzwerkanalyse (SNA) mit jeweils unterschiedlichen Schwerpunkten in der Anthropologie, der Soziologie und der (Sozial-)Psychologie entwickelt. Ab den 1970er Jahren wurden diese verschiedenen Entwicklungslinien vereint. Die ›Harvard-Strukturalisten‹ (u.a. Harrison C. White) führten neue Algorith-men und Computertechniken in die SNA ein; es bildete sich ein eigenes For-schungsfeld und eine einheitliche Sprache heraus. Die Haupterkenntnisse der SNA reichen vom Nachweis der Ähnlichkeitsattraktion (»Gleich und gleich gesellt sich gern«) bis zur Entdeckung, dass wir in einer »kleinen Welt« leben, in der zwei beliebige Personen nur sechs Handschläge voneinander entfernt sind.
Teilweise vom Alltagsverständnis abweichend, bezeichnet »Elite« in den Sozial- wissenschaften ein... more Teilweise vom Alltagsverständnis abweichend, bezeichnet »Elite« in den Sozial- wissenschaften eine Gruppe von Personen, die Machtpositionen mit hohem Ansehen einnehmen und Entscheidungen von gesamtgesellschaftlicher Rele- vanz treffen können. Diese zwei Kerncharakteristika heben die Eliten von der Restbevölkerung ab. Die Abgrenzung zu dem ähnlichen Konzept der ›herr- schenden Klasse‹ ist insofern gegeben, als die Autorität der Eliten als begrenzt und kurzlebig gesehen wird und zudem der Zugang zu den Eliten überwiegend als offen angenommen wird. Inwiefern diese Annahmen tatsächlich zutreffen, ist stets empirisch zu eruieren. Eliten sind in unterschiedlichen Gesellschaftsbereichen auszumachen, wobei in den seltensten Fällen der Elite eines einzigen Gesellschaftsbereichs (z.B. dem Militär) das sich über alle Bereiche erstreckende Machtmonopol zukommt. Auch die Zielsetzungen einzelner Eliten variieren: in der Wissenschaft geht es etwa um Erweiterung von Erkenntnissen, in der Wirtschaft um Gewinnmaxi- mierung und in der Politik um erfolgreiche Ausübung übertragener Macht. Die aktuelle Elitensoziologie beschäftigt sich u.a. mit der Geldmacht der Superrei- chen, dem Wandel gesellschaftlicher Machtzentren, den Querverbindungen zwischen den einzelnen Eliten und der Herausbildung einer globalen Elite.
Uploads
Papers by Philipp Korom
If one departs from a purely income-based definition of the German middle classes, one finds a very low degree of homeownership and very few inheriting households in the lower middle class (< 80 percent of the median income). The middle class in the narrow sense (<150 percent of the median income) distinguishes itself from the upper middle class (< 250 percent of the median income) not so much through inheritance or homeownership, but rather through the ownership of other (income generating) real estate.
The wealth perspective reveals above all a lower middle class (about 16 percent of the popula- tion) that, if not backed by the welfare state, is extremely vulnerable. These are renters who are unable to secure their standard of living in the medium or long term by drawing on private assets or inheritance only. Reduced old-age pensions may endanger these households.
If one departs from a purely income-based definition of the German middle classes, one finds a very low degree of homeownership and very few inheriting households in the lower middle class (< 80 percent of the median income). The middle class in the narrow sense (<150 percent of the median income) distinguishes itself from the upper middle class (< 250 percent of the median income) not so much through inheritance or homeownership, but rather through the ownership of other (income generating) real estate.
The wealth perspective reveals above all a lower middle class (about 16 percent of the popula- tion) that, if not backed by the welfare state, is extremely vulnerable. These are renters who are unable to secure their standard of living in the medium or long term by drawing on private assets or inheritance only. Reduced old-age pensions may endanger these households.
Eliten sind in unterschiedlichen Gesellschaftsbereichen auszumachen, wobei in den seltensten Fällen der Elite eines einzigen Gesellschaftsbereichs (z.B. dem Militär) das sich über alle Bereiche erstreckende Machtmonopol zukommt. Auch die Zielsetzungen einzelner Eliten variieren: in der Wissenschaft geht es etwa um Erweiterung von Erkenntnissen, in der Wirtschaft um Gewinnmaxi- mierung und in der Politik um erfolgreiche Ausübung übertragener Macht. Die aktuelle Elitensoziologie beschäftigt sich u.a. mit der Geldmacht der Superrei- chen, dem Wandel gesellschaftlicher Machtzentren, den Querverbindungen zwischen den einzelnen Eliten und der Herausbildung einer globalen Elite.