Neil Fligstein

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Neil Fligstein
Born (1951-05-23) May 23, 1951 (age 74)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
CitizenshipAmerican
Known forA Theory of Fields

Markets as Politics Political-cultural approach to markets

Theory of social fields

Contents

AwardsClass of 1939 Chancellor’s Professor, UC Berkeley (1997)

Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (1994–95) Guggenheim Fellow (2004–05) Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Fellow (2007)

Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2010)
Academic work
Notable worksThe Architecture of Markets

Euroclash

A Theory of Fields (with Doug McAdam)

Neil Fligstein (born May 23, 1951) is an American sociologist, and professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on economic sociology, political sociology, and organizational theory. [1]

Fligstein's theoretical work in economic sociology has focused on "political-cultural" approach to "markets in corporate control," [2] the structure of markets, [3] and the intersection of markets and politics. [4] These concepts have been applied to study the European Union's development of a single market through cooperative political processes. [5] In 2012, he co-authored A Theory of Fields with Doug McAdam, presenting a framework for analyzing social orders in politics, economics, and social movements. [6]

Early life and education

Born in Seattle, Washington, Fligstein received his BA in 1973 from Reed College, an MS in 1976 from the University of Wisconsin, and a PhD in 1979 from the University of Wisconsin. [7]

In 1984, Fligstein was promoted to associate professor at the University of Arizona, and to full professor in 1990. In 1991, he joined the University of California, Berkeley as a professor of sociology, serving as department chair from 1992 to 1995. He is the director of the Center for Culture, Organization, and Politics at Berkeley's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. [8] In 2001, Fliegstein published The Architecture of Markets, [9] an economic sociology book that explores how social and political processes shape and regulate markets.

Academic work

Fligstein's work examines the formation, stabilization, and transformation of social institutions. He proposes that social action occurs within "meso-level social orders" or "fields," where individuals and groups compete for shared objectives. [10] In A Theory of Fields, Fligstein and McAdam suggest that early-stage social orders resemble social movements, characterized by fluid definitions of goals, participants, and governing norms. [11]

Fligstein emphasizes "social skill"—defined as the ability to foster cooperation through empathy—as important for establishing and maintaining social fields. He argues that skilled actors facilitate social order by creating collective identities. [12] [13]

Theory of markets

According to Fligstein's market theory, markets emerge as meso-level orders where established players and challengers compete for dominance. Fligstein suggests that incumbents often shape market logic through "conceptions of control." [9] He also highlights the state's role in stabilizing markets through regulation and intervention. He proposes a socio-economic framework of understanding "markets as politics". [14]

History of the large American corporation

Fligstein's study of U.S. corporations from 1870 to 1980 traces the evolution of corporate strategies in response to competition, and how this redefined ownership and management dynamics. [15]

Fligstein's analysis of the European Single Market project focuses on its role in facilitating cross-border trade for businesses. [16] He argues that EU legal and political integration increased trade efficiency. [17]

In Euroclash , Fligstein explores how EU integration has influenced industries, identities, and politics. He notes that approximately 13% of Europeans primarily identify as European, often educated professionals with liberal views, while about half do so occasionally. He posits that integration progresses with majority national support but remains subordinate to national political concerns. [5]

Selected publications

Books

Fligstein, Neil and Doug McAdam. A Theory of Fields. Oxford University Press, 2012.

Fligstein, Neil. Euroclash: The EU, European Identity, and the Future of Europe. Oxford University Press, 2008.

Fligstein, Neil. The Transformation of Corporate Control. Harvard University Press, 1990.

Fligstein, Neil. The Architecture of Markets: An Economic Sociology of Twenty-First-Century Capitalist Societies. Princeton University Press, 2001.

Sweet, Alec Stone, Wayne Sandholtz, and Neil Fligstein, eds. The Institutionalization of Europe. Oxford University Press, 2001.

Articles

Fligstein, Neil (1985). "The spread of the multidivisional form among large firms, 1919-1979". American Sociological Review. 1985 (3): 377–391. doi:10.2307/2095547. JSTOR   2095547.

Fligstein, Neil (1996). "Markets as politics: A political-cultural approach to market institutions" (PDF). American Sociological Review. 1996 (4): 656–673. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.695.455 . doi:10.2307/2096398. JSTOR   2096398. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-11.

Fligstein, Neil (1997). "Social skill and institutional theory". American Behavioral Scientist . 40 (4): 397–405. doi:10.1177/0002764297040004003. S2CID   144547075.

Fligstein, Neil (2001). "Social skill and the theory of fields" (PDF). Sociological Theory. 19 (2): 105–125. doi:10.1111/0735-2751.00132. S2CID   15605148.

References

  1. ↑ "Neil D. Fligstein". American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  2. ↑ Hall, Peter A.; Taylor, Rosemary CR (1996). "Political science and the three new institutionalism*". Political Studies. 44 (5): 936–957. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.1996.tb00343.x. hdl: 11858/00-001M-0000-0012-59C1-5 . S2CID   3133316.
  3. ↑ Scott, W. William Richard. Institutions and organizations: Ideas, interests, and identities. Sage Publications, 2013.
  4. ↑ Aldrich, Howard. Organizations evolving. Sage, 1999.
  5. 1 2 Fligstein, Neil (2008). Euroclash: The EU, European Identity, and the Future of Europe. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780199542567.
  6. ↑ Fligstein, Neil and Doug McAdam (2012). A Theory of Fields. New York City, N.Y.: Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780199859948.
  7. ↑ John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (2005) Reports of the President and of the Treasurer. p. 73.
  8. ↑ "Neil Fligstein". sociology.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  9. 1 2 Fligstein, Neil (2001). The Architecture of Markets: An Economic Sociology for 21st Century Capitalism . Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN   9780691102542.
  10. ↑ "Neil Fligstein". sociology.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  11. ↑ "Neil Fligstein". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  12. ↑ Fligstein, Neil (2001). "Social skill and the Theory of Fields" (PDF). Sociological Theory. 19 (2): 105–125. doi:10.1111/0735-2751.00132. S2CID   15605148.
  13. ↑ "Neil Fligstein | Sciences Po Centre d'études européennes". www.sciencespo.fr (in French). 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  14. ↑ Fligstein, Neil (1996). "Markets as politics: a political-cultural approach to market institutions". American Sociological Review. 61 (4): 656–673. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.695.455 . doi:10.2307/2096398. JSTOR   2096398.
  15. ↑ Fligstein, Neil (1990). The Transformation of Corporate Control. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press. ISBN   9780674903593.
  16. ↑ Fligstein, Neil and Iona Mara-Drita (1996). "How to make a market: reflections on the European Union's Single Market Project". American Journal of Sociology. 102: 1–33. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.695.4870 . doi:10.1086/230907. S2CID   144849803.
  17. ↑ Fligstein, Neil; Stone Sweet, Alex (2001). "Constructing Markets and Politics". American Journal of Sociology. doi:10.1086/341907. S2CID   17707624.

Neil Fligstein at UC Berkeley

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