The Cement of Society

A Survey of Social Order

Jon Elster
eISBN-13: 9780511876271

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The question Jon Elster addresses in this challenging book is what binds societies together and prevents them from disintegrating into chaos and war. He analyses two concepts of social order: stable, predictable patterns of behaviour, and co-operative behaviour. The book examines various aspects of collective action and bargaining from the perspective of rational-choice theory and the theory of social norms. It is a fundamental assumption of the book that social norms provide an important kind of motivation for action that is irreducible to rationality. The book represents a major statement by Elster, which will be of particular interest to political scientists, political philosophers, sociologists, and economists.

Sold By Cambridge University Press
ISBNs 9780511876271, 9780521376075, 9780521376075, 0511876270
Language eng