Economic Sociology

At the Chair of Sociology, especially Economic and Organizational Sociology, our research focuses on economic sociological issues from an institutionalist perspective (actor-centred institutionalism, political-economic neo-institutionalism). The focus is on the comparative analysis of production and economic systems (e.g. types of capitalism, financial market capitalism, digitalised economy), economic guiding principles (e.g. ‘Deutschland AG’, ‘Model Germany’, ‘corporate governance’, ‘corporate responsibility’, ‘sustainability’) and phenomena of socio-economic transformation that occur despite institutional persistence (e.g. overcoming ‘path dependencies’).

External-funded projects of the professorship with a connection to economic sociology:

• Spielt die Makro-Ebene eine Rolle? Eine vergleichende Analyse von Institutionengefügen und Gigwork-Plattformen in Ländern der Europäischen Union (DFG 2021-2024)
• Risikopraktiken im Finanzsektor und in der Politik ( DFG, 2017-2020)
• Varieties of Capitalism und die Inkomplementarität von Institutionen (DFG, 2014-2017)
• Matching von Innovationsfähigkeit und nachhaltigen Organisationsmodellen (BMBF/ESF, 2009-2013)
• Sequenzierung politischer Reformprozesse (Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2008)
• Verfestigte institutionelle Vielfalt (DFG, 2002-2006)

The teaching aims to present economic sociology in its entirety by comparing different theories. In addition to introductory seminars, in-depth reading seminars (hot-off-the-press seminars), practice-oriented simulations (WAO workshop) and research seminars are offered.