Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Overall, this is an interesting book written with clarity and conciseness and contains a very valid argument for understanding the emergence and development of social institutions." Review of Radical Political Economics
Synopsis
A thorough critique of a wide range of theories of institutional change is followed by the development of a new theory of institutional change that emphasizes the distributional consequences of social institutions.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-229) and index.
Table of Contents
Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. The primary importance of distributional conflict; 3. Institutions and strategic choice: information, sanctions and social expectations; 4. The spontaneous emergence of social institutions: contemporary theories of institutional change; 5. The spontaneous emergence of social institutions: a bargaining theory of emergence and change; 6. Stability and change: conflicts over formal institutions; 7. Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography.