对哈里森·怀特市场模型的讨论:解析、探源与改进

哈里森·怀特的“市场从哪里来?”一文在经济社会学的市场理论中占有重要地位,怀特从社会学的视角对经济学的基础领地——市场——进行了结构主义的重新构建。然而,该文发表至今已整整四分之一世纪,社会学界对怀特市场模型的理论探讨却甚为有限。本文尝试深入到怀特建构生产市场模型的整个过程,重新疏理、解释模型的构建逻辑;探寻该模型与经济学、社会学(尤其是社会网络理论),以及自然科学(主要是物理学和生态学)的理论方法渊源;探讨怀特的市场理论在理论假设、模型表述与方法上存在的问题与不足,并提出对模型进行改进与完善的部分初步方案。     

论费孝通《试谈扩展社会学的传统界限》

费孝通先生在《试谈扩展社会学的传统界限》文章中阐释了社会学的"科学"和"人文"的双重性格,用认识论和方法论探讨了现代社会学研究方法的多元化和重要性。笔者通过现有西方社会学理论进一步阐释费孝通先生在文章中提出的观点。     

论劳动力市场的理论困境与实践可能性

本文运用劳动社会学的理论和方法,在总结和回顾劳动力市场有关理论问题的基础上,提出社会主义客观上仍存在某种程度的劳动力商品化的条件。依据这一前提,作者认为,要解决目前我国经济社会发展中存在的一系列的劳动就业问题,有必要建立劳动力市场。进而比较详细地探讨了劳动力市场的基本模式,并指出劳动力市场成立后,还必须处理好如择业与充分就业、贫困与经济无保障以及计划与市场等关系或问题,从而使我国劳动力市场不断得到发展与完善。     

论社会学理论研究与经验研究的结合

理论研究与经验研究是社会学研究的两个方面,两者如何结合,一直是社会学方法论的一个重要问题。因此,社会学在我国恢复以后,理论研究与经验研究的结合一直是人们关注的问题。在我国社会经济体制改革的实践中,社会学应该扮演更重要的角色,去探索和研究社会发展进程中出现的新情况、新问题,并能够科学地预测社会发展的前景。但是目前社会学的     

“经验研究”与“理论研究”——古典社会学、心理学的诠释学意涵

当前中国社会学中的一个突出问题是,"经验研究"与"理论研究"两个阵营之间相互质疑。然而,从当代诠释学的角度则有"经验"与"理论"一致性的命题:经验是文本的类似物。这一命题原创性地蕴含在社会学和心理学的奠基者詹姆斯、涂尔干、弗洛伊德和韦伯的思想之中,而本文的主体部分即发掘这些古典思想的诠释学意涵。文章指出,基于这一诠释学命题的理论建构,在解决中国社会学中两个阵营对峙问题的同时,将文化自觉置于学科建设的基础位置。     

社会学方法论概念的结构分析

长期以来,社会学界对社会学方法的层次和结构有两种不同的理解:一是理解为“研究程序的逻辑”,二是理解为理论的诱导功能。本文认为社会学方法论是一个集合概念,它具有不同的层次和结构。哲学方法是社会学研究的最高原则,它在最高层次上把握着社会学研究的质量。一般社会学理论是建构专门社会学理论的方法论基础,它向研究者提供专门社会学理论所需的最基本概念和理论框架。专门社会学理论作为应用逻辑,可以给出被研究的现象中所包含的具体变量体系及变量间的联系。研究逻辑完成着方法论的逻辑功能,保证着社会学经验研究中所采用的程序和方法的合理性和可靠性。哲学方法论、一般社会学方法论、专门社会学方法论和社会学研究逻辑是社会学方法论的四大构成要素,而社会学经验研究中的具体方法和技术,不属于方法论的研究范畴。     

马克斯·韦伯的法律社会学评介

马克斯·韦伯(max weber 1864～1920)是德国社会学的泰斗,也是最早对法律作广泛的社会学研究的重要人物之一。韦伯无意发展一套系统的法律社会学理论,但这绝不意味着社会法律学在他恢弘的社会学架构中无足轻重。事实上,韦伯的社会学著作几乎都涉及到法律问题,在《经济与社会》中,则设专章论述法律社会学。帕森斯曾说,“韦伯的实体社会学的核心既不在于他对经济和政治问题的研究,也不在于他的宗教社会学,而在于他的法律社会学”。本文即试图对韦伯的法律社会学作简单的评介。     

改革开放以来中国社会学理论的重建与发展

自改革开放以来,我国贯彻落实了社会学理论;20世纪70年代,我国社会学理论面临重建。阶段的划分并不是依据时间长短进行的,而是依据社会学理论研究形式以及内在形式上的不同,通过其实时变化进行理论的构建与划分的,在此过程中通过理论研究能够起到推动和引导的作用,通过回顾使我们能够进一步了解中国社会学理论,对其中的不足、成长以及误知进行深入研究。     

现代化转型与市场转型混合效应的分解——市场转型研究的年龄、时期和世代效应模型

持续多年的市场转型讨论中存在两个重要的偏颇:1.几乎所有的市场转型研究都将1979年至今发生在中国的社会转型归结为从计划走向市场的转型,而忽视了中国同时正在经历的以工业经济高速成长为特点的现代化转型;2.转型导致劳动力市场结构发生迅速的变迁,而市场转型研究中往往将劳动力市场结构看作不随时间变化的常数,将不同世代、不同时期参加工作的对象不做区别地放在一个模型里来分析市场效应。这两个问题都会导致研究市场转型对分层秩序影响结论的不可靠。本文提出了一个区分社会转型的现代化效应和市场转型效应的方法;同时提出应对迅速变迁的劳动力市场结构的转型研究模型的改进模型——APC模型。根据新的模型,研究发现,地位获得和代内职业流动中分别存在着现代化和市场化所导致的世代效应、时期效应和年龄效应;现代化转型和市场转型所影响的分层秩序存在差异,现代化效应更多地影响着职业的社会地位结构分布和代内的职业升迁;市场化效应则更多地影响不同所有制劳动力市场的分布;同时,市场化和现代化都对劳动力市场中职业的社会地位结构分布具有相互关联的影响。越晚进入体制外劳动力部门的个体收入之所以越高,是因为体制外劳动力部门从改革早期的次要劳动力部门逐渐成为核心劳动力部门,是体制外劳动力部门现代化发展的结果而不是市场化的结果。     

重庆社会科学院“劳动力市场社会学研究”课题组召开理论研讨会

随着商品经济的发展,农村劳动力迅速转移和城市劳动力普遍流动,历史地提出了发展劳动力市场的客观要求。伴随这一主体市场的形成发展,人口流动、社会心理、人际关系、劳动竞争等方面,都将出现一系列社会学问题急待研究。因此在哲学社会科学“七·五”规划中,重庆社会科学院提出的“劳动力市场社会学研究”课题被列为国家课题。该院社会学     

What is the Main Significance of Economic for Sociological Theory?

This paper reconsiders classical and neoclassical economics’ significance for or affinity and convergence with sociological theory. The paper identifies certain types or elements of classical and neoclassical economics that are potentially significant or convergent with sociological theory: pure market economics, the economics of society cum the “rational choice model”, and social or sociological economics. First, it argues that as pure economics economic theory’s significance for or affinity and convergence with sociological theory is low because the first is inconsistent with or divergent from the latter, notably theoretical economic sociology. Second, the paper suggests that as the economics of society economic theory’s significance for or affinity and convergence with sociological theory is non-existent or minimal, because the “rational choice model” is missing or an exception within conventional economics. Third, the paper proposes and demonstrates that classical and neoclassical economics’ main significance for or affinity and convergence with sociological theory lies in social economics as its second ingredient, alongside market economics. The paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between economic and sociological theory and economics and sociology overall.     

Market stability: backward-bending supply in a laboratory experimental market. 1999 Presidential address Western Economic Association

This article investigates the stability properties of markets with backward-bending supply curves. Parameters are chosen so that the two classic models of price dynamics, the Walrasian model and the Marshallian model, give opposite predictions. The results are (1) market instability can be observed, and (2) in the backward-bending case stability is captured by the Walrasian model and the Marshallian model of dynamics is rejected. Previous experiments have demonstrated that the Marshallian model works in the forward-falling case. Thus, which theory of dynamics is appropriate for a market depends on the underlying reasons for demand and supply shapes.     

THE RED, BLACK, AND GRAY MARKETS OF RELIGION IN CHINA

The economic approach to religion has confined its application to Christendom in spite of the ambition of the core theorists for its universal applicability. Moreover, the supply-side market theory focuses on one type of religiosity—religious participation (membership and attendance) in formal religious organizations. In an attempt to analyze the religious situation in contemporary China, a country with religious traditions and regulations drastically different from Europe and the Americas, I propose a triple-market model: a red market (officially permitted religions), a black market (officially banned religions), and a gray market (religions with an ambiguous legal/illegal status). The gray market concept accentuates noninstitutionalized religiosity. The triple-market model is useful to understand the complex religious situation in China, and it may be extendable to other societies as well.     

A consumer theory with competitive markets for work in marriage

The theory presented here aims at explaining individual consumer behavior inside marriage and prior to marriage. It is a New Home Economics (NHE) model in the sense that it assumes the existence of household production. It is an intra-household bargaining model in the sense that it assumes that husbands and wives typically have different economic interests with respect to marriage, and they try to negotiate arrangements that suit them best. The more resources they have, the more they may obtain results that favor them rather than their spouse. It is a market theory similar to standard labor market theory. This theory throws light on gender differences in demand for commercial goods that have home-produced substitutes. This theory leads to an explanation why women are charged more for dry-cleaning. The theory can also explain differences in demand for different products. Predictions include that of a sex ratio effect on consumption. For example, it is predicted that in countries with more emigration of men than women, women will be expected to make higher contributions to newly weds’ costs of housing. It is also predicted that there will be compensating differentials in marriage. For instance, women married to considerably older men are expected to have relatively more control over the use the couple’s income than women married to men who are close to their own age. In contrast to bargaining theory, the insights presented here apply to both married individuals and to those who anticipate being married in the future.     

Labor Market Structure and Career Occupational Status Mobility: A Theoretical Model*

Sociological explanations of career or intragenerational occupational status mobility generally have not taken into explicit account the effects of labor market structure. Rooted in structural-functionalist sociological theory or neoclassical economic theories of the labor market, models typically misrepresent the process of individual occupational status mobility, primarily by including only individual characteristics. Dual labor market theory is introduced, direct as well as indirect effects of labor market structure on career occupational status mobility are outlined, and a theoretical model is presented. It is hypothesized that labor market structure will have direct effects on opportunities for career occupational status mobility that are independent of the effects of individual characteristics. Additional indirect effects are suggested: through their effects on social network structures, labor markets operate as job opportunity information filters.     

A DIRECT TEST OF THE EFFICIENT MARRIAGE MARKET HYPOTHESIS

This paper takes Becker's efficient marriage market hypothesis at face value, and directly confronts it with data from Hong Kong. The theory of optimal assignment is used to develop an empirical model of spouse selection, which resembles a Tobit model. This model can address positive or negative assortative matching as well as marginal product pricing in marriage markets. We also use a computer algorithm to solve the assignment problem for imputed marital output. The degree to which the actual pairing of husbands and wives corresponds to the optimal pairing provides a goodness-of-fit test of the efficient marriage market hypothesis. ( JEL C51, C61, C78, J12)     

Risk Aversion,Shortage Economy,and Gender Differences in Religious Activities in China

The vast majority of studies in the sociology of religion show that women are more religious than men. We test a rather controversial conclusion that these differences stem from gender differences in risk aversion. Utilizing Yang's shortage economy perspective on religion in China, we argue that risk is inherent in gray market religious activities. From the risk aversion perspective, we hypothesize that women should participate in gray market less than men. Using the 2007 Spiritual Life Survey, a study of 7,021 respondents in the People's Republic of China, we model gender differences in the number of reported gray market religious activities during the previous 12 months. Our analysis fails to find support for the risk aversion hypothesis. We find that women report significantly more gray market activities than men, even after controlling for a variety of theoretically important variables. Implications for theory and research are discussed.     

THE ECONOMICS OF FAMILY FORMATION*

In this article an economic model of the determinants of first marriage is formulated and then empirically tested. The model incorporates household production theory and search theory in order to explain the incentives to marry and the determinants of the age at first marriage. Age at first marriage is viewed as depending on the determinants of entry into the marriage market and the duration of search for a spouse. Empirical results from the 1967 Survey of Economic Opportunity show a negative effect of male wages and a positive effect of female wages on own age at marriage. Additionally, education and urbanization are found to have positive effects and number of children a negative effect.     

Die „ökologische Dynamik“ der Sozialstruktur in Organisationen

The article is dealing with the association of labor market mobility and the dissolution rate of the employing organization. Several hypotheses concerning the impact of age, size, distribution of educational credentials and ecological dynamics on the organizational dissolution rate are derived from organizational ecology theory. But the theoretical discussion shows that a more sophisticated argumentation is needed. In the first step a dynamic multilevel model supplies evidence that the impact of size and age on the organizational dissolution rate varies between the contexts in which organizations are embedded. In the second step evidence of a positive association of the organizational dissolution rate and the rate of internal mobility in almost each direction is provided. Simulations clarify that ecological conditions of organizations have a momentous impact upon mobility and for this reason the theory of labor market mobility should be systematically enhanced with propositions about the ecology of organizations.     

MARKET ENFORCED INFORMATION ASYMMETRY: A STUDY OF CLAIMING RACES

This is a study of complementary markets. The race track polices the betting market with information revealed in a 'claiming horse' market. This policing reduces the adverse consequences of asymmetric information: experts in identifying horses and fraud are deterred from biasing betting odds against bettors at large. Consequently, bettors specialize in evaluating published race information. This 'monitoring' theory is compared to a competing theory of claim races as a self-assessed horse market. Parametric data is used to evaluate each theory. Institutional details also provide a test of each theory.