The Contradictions of Modern Societies
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6265801 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jon Elster (0000-0002-9543-1780, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1984 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 304-311 |
| Publication date | 1984-07-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Government and Opposition (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0017-257X • E-ISSN: 1477-7053 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1477-7053.1984.tb01047.x |
| OpenAlex | W2093472288 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 6 |
MANCUR OLSON HAS WRITTEN A BOOK IN THE GRAND tradition, trying to explain how societies are undermined by their own success. In his own words, there is an ‘internal contradiction’ (p. 145) in the development of stable societies. I want to discuss Olson's views in the light of other works in the same tradition, works that also set out to explain how success tends to be self-defeating in various ways. Among the classics of social theory, I have singled out the writings of Marx, Veblen and Schumpeter. A contemporary work that suggests itself for the same kind of comparison is the recent book by Douglass North, Structure and Change in Economic History. Before I go on to compare Olson'stheory with these competing explanations, I must briefly set out the main elements of the theory itself. This must of necessity be a very simplified statement, but the later discussion will allow me to add some nuances
Contradiction · Economics · Epistemology · Neoclassical economics · Positive economics · Set (abstract data type · Social science · Sociology · Statement (logic · Veblen good · Economic Theory and Institutions · Philosophy · Political Economy and Marxism
| Citations per year | 0.17 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2020 - 2020 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |