Rational choice theory : resisting colonization
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Rational choice theory : resisting colonization
(Critical realism -- interventions)
Routledge, 2000
- : hbk
- : pbk
Available at 27 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [234]-248) and indexes
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Rational Choice Theory is flourishing in sociology and is increasingly influential in other disciplines. Contributors to this volume are convinced that it provides an inadequate conceptualization of all aspects of decision making: of the individuals who make the decisions, of the process by which decisions get made and of the context within which decisions get made.
The ciritique focuses on the four assumptions which are the bedrock of rational choice:
rationality: the theory's definition of rationality is incomplete, and cannot satisfactorily incorporate norms and emotions
individualism: rational choice is based upon atomistic, individual decision makers and cannot account for decisions made by ;couples', 'groups' or other forms of collective action
process: the assumption of fixed, well-ordered preferences and 'perfect information' makes the theory inadequate for situations of change and uncertainty
aggregation: as methodological individualists, rational choice theorists can only view structure and culture as aggregates and cannot incorporate structural or cultural influences as emergent properties which have an effect upon decision making.
The critique is grounded in discussion of a wide range of social issues, including race, marriage, health and education.
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1 Introduction, Margaret S. Archer, Jonathan Q. Tritter
- Part 1 Part I Rationality
- Chapter 2 The bird in hand, Peter Wagner
- Chapter 3 Homo economicus, Homo sociologicus and Homo sentiens, Margaret S. Archer
- Chapter 4 Is rational choice theory 'unreasonable'?, Simon J. Williams
- Part 2 Part II Individualism
- Chapter 5 Social theory and the underclass, Justin Cruickshank
- Chapter 6 (Ir)rational choice, Kay Peggs, Richard Lampard
- Chapter 7 Switching allegiances, Jonathan Q. Tritter
- Chapter 8 Rational choice or 'Hobson's choice'?, Andrew Parker
- Part 3 Part III Temporality
- Chapter 9 'I do', Ian Procter
- Chapter 10 Decision-making as a process over time, Carol Wolkowitz
- Chapter 11 The decision to commit a crime against humanity, Robert Fine, David Hirsh
- Chapter 12 'Race', ethnicity and housing decisions, Peter Ratcliffe
- Part 4 Conclusion
- Chapter 13 'When the battle's lost and won', James A. Beckford
- Bibliography
- Name Index
- Subject Index
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