In recognition of the excellence of economic sociology at Cornell, the University established the Center for the Study of Economy and Society in 2001. Named after Max Weber's influential book Economy and Society, the Center's mission is to extend the core ideas and insights pioneered by Weber in a new institutionalist approach to the study of economy, society, and polity. CSES focuses on supporting advances in theory and research on institutions, organizations, networks, norms, beliefs, and rationality in the study of economy and society.
Based in the Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences, CSES also draws on the talents of leading figures from other disciplines and colleges across the University who participate as advisory committee members, speakers for events, collaborators in research, and contributors to the Center's working groups. Cornell departments and schools represented include Economics, Anthropology, Government, the Law School, the Johnson Graduate School of Management, the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and Policy Analysis and Management.
CSES provides its graduate student and faculty affiliates an exceptional intellectual environment in which to develop their work. For example, we coordinate working groups in which faculty and graduate students meet on a biweekly basis to present and discuss new work in an informal, collegial atmosphere. These groups are more than just an important component of graduate training, they are literally incubators for new ideas, research projects, and collaboration between graduate students and faculty.
In addition to the working groups, the Center offers small graduate seminars taught by affiliated faculty on topics in the study of economy and society. Our Seminar Series in Economy and Society, symposia, and conferences bring to the Cornell campus leading scholars in the social sciences. Recent visitors include James Baron, Robert Barro, Mary Brinton, Paul DiMaggio, Frank Dobbin, Ronald Dore, Peter Evans, Neil Fligstein, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Gibbons, Mark Granovetter, Avner Greif, Gary Hamilton, Russell Hardin, Justin Yifu Lin, Barnaby Marsh, John Meyer, Douglass North, Michael Novak, Charles Sabel, AnnaLee Saxenian, Neil Smelser, Duncan Watts and Harrison White. The Center's breadth of activities contributes greatly to the rich array of opportunities -- both intellectual and personal -- in economic sociology at Cornell.
