The Cement of Society: A Study of Social Order (Studies in Rationality and Social Change)

The question addressed in this challenging new book is: What binds societies together and prevents them from disintegrating into chaos and war? Elster analyzes two concepts of social order: stable, predictable patterns of behavior, and cooperative behavior. 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 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 Introduction: The Two Problems Of Social Order -- Collective Action -- Bargaining -- Social Norms -- Bargaining And Collective Action -- Collective Action And Social Norms -- Conclusion: The Cement Of Society. Jon Elster. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [288]-308. The question Jon Elster addresses in this challenging new book is what binds societies together and prevents them from disintegrating into chaos and war. He analyzes two concepts of social order: stable, predictable patterns of behaviour, and co-operative behaviour