Article1988

The Contribution of Rational Choice Theory to Macrosociological Research

274 citations0/0 files storedSociological Theory

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Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice Economic Theory and Institutions Critical Realism in Sociology

Abstract

Because it consists of an entire family of specific theories derived from the same first principles, rational choice offers one approach to generate explanations that provide for micro-macro links, and to attack a wide variety of empirical problems in macrosociology. The aims of this paper are (I) to provide a bare skeleton of all rational choice arguments; (2) to demonstrate their applicability to a range of macrosociological concerns by reviewing a sample of both new and classic works; and (3) to discuss the weaknesses of current rational choice theory and the possibilities for its future development.

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References

1976Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure 1988Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk 1958An Economic Theory of Democracy.2019Theory of games and economic behavior 1966The Logic of Collective Action.1921Risk, Uncertainty and Profit 2014The theory of communicative action 1980Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences.

Cited by

1997Entrepreneurial Social Infrastructure and Locally Initiated Economic Development in the Nonmetropolitan United States 2006Attracting Major Sporting Events: The Role of Local Residents 1998The Debate on Historical Sociology: Rational Choice Theory and Its Critics 1994Is Revolution Individually Rational?1993Theories of Revolution Revisited: Toward a Fourth Generation?2010Toward a Fourth Generation of Revolutionary Theory 1992The Rational Choice Perspective

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