Theory

You won’t find general theories of society here, rather something like “medium-range theories” (Merton), covering dysfunctions as well as functions; or “grounded theory,” with a particular focus on change, development, even evolution. Some of the works listed here could also have been included in other chapters, such as Political Economy or Production Systems. The focus is always on developing an action-theoretical framework for a verstehende description and explanation of political-economic conditions and developments—as close to the subject as possible—while defining more precisely concepts such as “complexity” that can be useful for the purpose.