2024

Economic Sociology

Name: Economic Sociology
Code: SOC02419L
6 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours
Scientific Area: Sociology

Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese
Regime de Frequência: Presencial

Sustainable Development Goals

Learning Goals

Intended learning outcomes:
a) identify both the strengths and the limits of classical and neo-classical economic approaches to the explanation of economic behavior;
b) construct more complex models when writing essays on economic phenomena (like the great inter-firms indebtedness, rate of informal economy, level of trust and cooperation, etc.);
c) differentiate the economic social, political and cultural foundations of economic decisions, taken by different actors (governments, firms, households etc.);
d) apply new sociological approaches in the assessment of social impacts of those decisions, in particular the government?s ones.

Contents

Introduction
Chapter I - The Companies
1. Economic neo-institutionalism (theory of transaction costs and agency theory)
2. Sociological neo-institutionalism (impact of economic action in social structure)
3. Neo-institutionalism organizational
4. New organizational configurations (networks)
Chapter II - The markets
1. Sociological approaches markets
2. Labor Markets
3. Financial markets
4. Social meaning of money
Chapter III - Entrepreneurship and informal economy
1. Historical figures of entrepreneurship (Marx, Weber, Schumpeter)
2. Culture and entrepreneurship
3. Social capital, trust and economic performance
Chapter IV - Impacts of globalization on economic development
1. Globalization and national economic models

Teaching Methods

Oral exposition of theoretical issues, supported by audio-visual media and illustrated with case studies and examples of concrete social reality;
- Developed summaries of the issues discussed in with indication of specific support texts;
- Individual and group reading of texts;
- Reading texts and structured oral presentation of the author's main ideas;
- Participation in conferences of sociological interest;
- Monitoring tutorial attendance and distance learning (http://www.moodle.uevora.pt)
School Internal Regulation establishes two types of assessment - continuous assessment process or a final examination:
Continuous assessment: written examination (60%) + work group with oral presentation and discussion in (40%)
Final examination: written examination (100%).

Teaching Staff