Weber's Work Research Articles

The Max Weber Dictionary: Key Words and Central Concepts by Richard Swedberg (review)

Book Reviews 127 editors provide a thorough elucidation of the meaning and value of science, the process of 'disenschantment' [Entzauberung], the bureaucratization of politics and the world, as well as noting other key Weberian themes. A brief discussion, however, of Weber's difficult style would have been in order. In the suggestions for further reading, Marianne Weber's biography is listed, but not the later (1988) reprint with Günther Roth's introduction, yet no reference to important recent studies such as Sven Eliaeson, Max Weber's Methodologies (Oxford: Polity Press, 2002), or Nicholas Gane, Max Weber and Postmodern Theory: Rationalization versus Re-enchantment (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2002), and there are a few minor mistakes concerning the publication dates of the second edition of, for example, David Beetham's study of Max Weber and the Theory of Modern Politics (Oxford: Polity Press, 1985). Finally, from the Introduction to the name index Jaffé is written without the diacritical marks. Unfortunately, the two vocations are neither related conceptually, nor in the person of Max Weber. Weber regarded passion as a prerequisite for both vocations. Some of the other prerequisites may not be as mutually exclusive as Weber appeared to believe, despite his sharp differentiation between them when he wrote that 'the qualities that make someone an outstanding scholar and academic teacher are not those that create leaders in practical life or, more specifically, in politics' (p. 25). In view of what he says about the poor material conditions of and the risks involved in the vocation of science and an increasingly bureaucratized and under-funded academic system, what applies to politics may also be said to apply to a calling for science; that is, the only one who has it is the one who can 'still say "Neverthe less!" despite everything' (p. 94). There is only a brief mention of Weber's political activities (p. xi), and a footnote reference to his writings on higher education (p. xxii). Although ambivalent at times, Weber was both an academic and a political activist, and if Karl Jaspers was right, as it appears to be, he was ready for high political office, but only if called (Karl Jaspers, Max Weber: Gesammelte Schriften [introduction D. Henrich; Munich: Piper, 1988], p. 67). These differences of opinion aside, however, overall this is a highly readable translation of Weber's two most famous essays, and provides a good exposition of their major themes. John Dreijmanis Colchester John Dreijmanis Richard Swedberg, The Max Weber Dictionary: Key Words and Central Concepts (Stan ford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2005), pp. 360. ISBN 0-8047-5095-5 (pbk), 0-8047 5094-7 (hbk). $US 55.00 (hbk) and $US 22.95 (pbk). I must declare my interest at the outset. The author thanks me in the acknowledge ments, I am referred to with approval in his introduction and quoted liberally in the entries, one of which I even suggested to him. Legally, therefore, I am no doubt disqualified as a reviewer. I nevertheless hope that I shall be able to preserve the necessary objectivity. The corpus of Weber's work is immense, and the secondary literature over whelming, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Against this background, a com prehensive and reliable Weber Dictionary will therefore be more than welcome. But for the same reason, it is a daunting undertaking, and one well understands that Richard Swedberg, though extremely well qualified for the task, has felt the need to associate a young Weber scholar, Ola AgevaU, with the project.© Max Weber Studies 2007. 128 Max Weber Studies Swedberg does not make life easy for himself: the intended target group of the Dictionary is large, including not only the 'general reader' with basic needs, but also the 'tired teacher' in search of a quick fix, but at a fairly high level of expertise. This wide spread is reflected in the range of entries. As the subtitle implies, the Diction ary is meant to cover 'central concepts' (those 'typically associated with Weber's name', such as 'charisma' and 'domination') and 'key words' (defined by Swedberg as 'topics which Weber interpreted and recast in an innovative manner'). But we are also promised entries on 'uncommon terms that Weber uses...

Max Weber. Die Leidenschaft des Denkens by Joachim Radkau (review)

[MWS 7.1 (2007) 119-132] ISSN 1470-8078 Book Reviews Joachim Radkau, Max Weber. Die Leidenschaft des Denkens (Munich: Hanser, 2005), pp. 1000. ISBN 3446206752.45€. When Max Weber died in 1920, Karl Jaspers felt as if the German world had lost its heart. This was an emotion particularly felt amongst the younger members in Max Weber's sphere, although he was actually in fact a master without pupils. After being released from teaching duties, he spent most of his remaining lifetime as a private scholar. His worldwide fame started decades after his death. Nonethe less, he became an authority of modern social science, and the international Weber industry continues to grow. Twenty years earlier, Lawrence Scaff predicted that whoever was successful with his own Weber interpretation would determine the further progress of the social sciences. If this is right, one can certainly say that 'Weber is power7. This is also the conclusion of historian Joachim Radkau, who examines the life and work of Max Weber in this voluminous biography. To anticipate the following remarks: this book is the first biography of Weber since 1926 that really may be called a biography. All the other previous attempts were merely extracts of Marianne Weber7s Lebensbild of Max Weber, a hagiographie widow's portrait, first published in 1926. Radkau's book offers new insights even for those who are familiar with Weber7s life and work. He quotes sources from private archive material that have not been accessible up to now, especially Marianne's diaries as well as unpublished letters, including correspondence between Max and Marianne, his mother, and his two lovers. All these sources provide a deeper and more accurate understanding of Weber's life, particularly his affective life. But at the same time, these sources lead the biographer to a voyeuristic attitude that is occasionally embarrassing and detrimental to his performance. Previously, Joachim Radkau had distinguished himself especially in fields such as the history of medicine and the history of technology. He has been an unknown quantity in Weber research up to now. But this should not be a disadvantage, because many things are seen more clearly with distance. Due to this, Radkau is - pleasantly - far from palming his own Weber interpretation off on the reader, and, moreover, he is relatively fair in describing rival interpretations. It was surely a good decision of his, to consult the advice of experts such as Christoph Braun, Stefan Breuer, Wilhelm Hennis, M. Rainer Lepsius, and Günther Roth, although he did not consider much of their advice. Anyway, the 'passion' which appears as the subtitle of Radkau's book, is also to be observed in his consideration of Max Weber. Meticulously, he has got used to Weber's monumental work, following its aspects into their finest ramifications, and putting them into biographical contexts. What he wants to offer to the reader is 'the whole Weber' - from the dissertation and the studies on the stock© Max Weber Studies 2007, Department of Applied Social Sciences, London Metropolitan University, Old Castle Street, London El 7NT, UK. 120 Max Weber Studies market, the sociology of domination and the sociology of music, up to and including the love letters. Radkau's biography gives an intimate insight into Weber's life. It starts with the portrait of the scientist as a young man, growing up in a German upper-class family and feeling part of the elite. He then changes into the gruff, corpulent, hard drinking and duelling Heidelberg student, changes then again to become the newly appointed professor of economics demanding powerful imperial German politics in his Freiburg inaugural lecture, changing once more into the desperate workaholic trying to escape from depression, who was treated in mental hospitals year after year without any success. He concentrated later on his famous articles The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, and changed finally into the reconvalescent whose speed of life gained rapidly in the realms of love, science and politics, before he died, unexpectedly, in 1920. In the whole book it is transparent that Radkau's interest in Weber depends on his own field of research, the nerves. The author of a study on The Age of Nervousness has...

Max Weber's Contribution to the Economic Sociology of Law

▪ Abstract During recent years, a few scholars have advocated that more attention be paid to the intersection of law, economics, and sociology—what may be called the economic sociology of law. This review suggests that a theoretical foundation for such a field of study, or parts of such a foundation, may be found in the work of Max Weber. It also provides an introduction to those parts of Weber's work that are relevant in this context. Weber especially emphasizes the role that law plays in raising the probability that actions will take place, in the economy and elsewhere, and that this probability has to be established while taking the motives of the actors into account. The main contribution of the legal system to modern capitalism, Weber also argues, is to make economic life more calculable. This review also discusses which factors account for the increasing rationalization of law, including economic factors.

Max Weber and Economic Sociology

Abstract. Peukert (2004) argues that Weber's work is only of limited relevance to present‐day economic sociology because it incorporates “a rather narrow and static understanding of rationality and the economy.” This article disputes that claim. It is argued that Weber differentiates between economic and sociological perspectives on the economy through incorporating uncertainty into the latter. Hence Weber's economic sociology develops the distinction between “before” and “after” perspectives on action, incorporates expectations, and defines capital with reference to time and uncertainty. Furthermore, Weber's analysis of formal rationality presupposes uncertainty. Weber's economic sociology thus assumes a dynamic economy, where uncertainty is prevalent, and formal rationality can reduce uncertainty. Peukert's analysis thus (a) fails to consider Weber's differentiation between economic and sociological investigations, and (b) does not engage with Weber's knowledge of Austrian economics.

The Golem Narrative in Max Weber's Work

This paper provides a new metaphor for reading Weber's writings by exposing an underlying cultural pattern–the Golem narrative–and showing how it is reflected in Weber's work. We depict the Jewish story of the Golem and the German demonic version of the narrative as presented in the movie Der Golem. We analyze the structure of this story and distinguish three components in this cultural narrative: the will to be empowered; the use of a non-human material instrument to garner this power; culminating in the instrument developing an autonomous spirit, which fatefully makes it turn against the master, leading to personal and social destruction. We show how this narrative appears in Weber's conception of the role of spirits and gods in world history and moral life. We then provide two expanded examples of the way the narrative of the Golem unfolds in Weber's work: the rise of capitalism and his observations about charisma and its institutionalization.

MI6 and the Machinery of Spying by Philip Davies (review)

Book Reviews 311 Philip Davies, MI6 and the Machinery of Spying (Abingdon: Frank Cass, 2004), pp. 390. ISBN 0-714683639 (pbk), 0-71465457-4 (hbk). £21-99. Some will think that a history of the organization of MI6 is an unexpected place to find an analysis of Max Weber's work. But that is what Dr Davies of Brunei Univer sity has given us. Let me provide a brief summary: Weber, particularly in Economy and Society, contrasts bureaucracy and collegial ity. Collegiality is appropriate where decisions have to be made about singular, unique situations that do not repeat themselves and where thorough, deliberate, well-considered decisions rather than quick decisions are called for. There is a degree of complexity such that no one official can cope and there has to be a pooling of expertise. Such demands tend to occur when events are unpredictable and unexpected. You cannot regulate the outcome, either in content or in timing. This is a very good description of the problems facing an organization whose job is spying. In the case of MI6 it is crucial to note that it does not have a single master but rather has to produce intelligence to meet the requirements of the cooperating yet competing representatives of the armed forces and of government. The 'con sumers' of intelligence have to negotiate a pattern of priorities which of necessity shifts with events. Weber's critics have set up models (such as 'organic' bureaucracy, 'team' manage ment etc.) in opposition to and as the antithesis of what they see as Weber's main model of organization, yet Philip Davies is able to show that they can all be directly derived from Weber's writing on collegiality. Where Weber was wrong was in think ing that technological rationality would make the world more predictable leading to the iron cage, whereas in fact it has made it less predictable giving more, not less, scope for collégial forms of organization whose workings can not be reduced to an algorithm. Weber clung too doggedly to his pessimism and ironically thus provided an ideological rationale for those who sought formal at the expense of substantive rationality. Christie Davies© Max Weber Studies 2006. uiuveiMiy ui j\eauiiig ...

Max Weber: A Comprehensive Bibliography by Alan Sica (review)

306 Max Weber Studies century, and moreover, that 'The idea of a citizen's freedom within his community, initially seen in contrast solely to his oppression by tyranny, was given a positive content and associated with a constitution even much later' (p. 250). Thus, what is also being argued here is that the discovery of freedom is almost coterminous with the discovery of the political itself, in a recognizably modern sense, an argument which dovetails somewhat with the suggestions of Christian Meier in particular, whose work he extensively engages with. Much like the Roman arguments that have been resuscitated in recent years, though, for Raaflaub, the Greek conception of freedom becomes politically important when considered in terms of its antonym, namely servitude or the loss of political freedom. Subjection to a tyrant here, was the first formulation of what would become servitude. Its political character emerged through the challenge to tyranny from the whole of the population, not just the aristocrats, for if only the latter could fight tyranny then their interest in power could only hinder the development of a political concept of freedom. This too was tied up with something Weber was also quite concerned with, the idea of debt bondage. Solon's reforms, which abolished this, illustrate for Raaflaub the idea of freedom as an inalienable right of the citizen, as well as showing that the 'origin of the political concept of freedom is thus firmly anchored in the historical context of the Persian Wars' (p. 257). In much the same way as the late Bernard Williams argued for the necessity of history to philosophy in order to elucidate the genealogy of its central concepts, and to show that there is no such thing as a political concept of liberty that is eternal for it is always a constructed political value, Raaflaub undertakes a valuable work of under-labouring here to emphasize this very point. Even for the Greeks, archetypal founders of democracy for many in the history of Western politi cal thought, the very concept of freedom, or of rights, developed historically for them as it has done so for us. The specific circumstances of its evolution are unique, and can only with some distortion and much confusion, be grafted on to other polities with different traditions and histories. This much Weber accepted in his thinking about the relationship between capitalism, democracy, and the Russian Revolutions. In an era of war on terror in the name of Western freedom, it is perhaps something we would do well to remember more strenuously in fact. Duncan Kelly The University of Sheffield Alan Sica, Max Weber: A Comprehensive Bibliography (New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2004), pp. 334. ISBN 0765802090. $69.95. This is a bibliography containing 4,888 items chiefly of writings on Weber—reviews in English of translations (pp. 23-25); reviews of 'Weberiana' (pp. 27-43); selected dis sertations and theses (pp. 45-81); primary and secondary sources on Weber on ratio nality and rationalization (pp. 83-92; and works in English relating to Max Weber pp. 93-334); prefaced by an alphabetical listing of Weber's works in English translation (pp. 9-16). Sica notes in his introductory remarks that while in the pre-electronic age the lifetime of a standard bibliography could well run into decades, today an exhaus tive printed bibliography already shows signs of its age as it appears on the market. Why, then, make the very considerable effort of compiling this bibliography?© Max Weber Studies 2006. Book Reviews 307 The first and principle reason advanced is that there are a very great number of faulty citations and red herrings out there, and this bibliography sets out to provide a standard listing of names that are spelled correctly, of years of publication given accurately, and of journals that actually exist. For the student of Weber this provides an invaluable handlist to what really exists and where to find it. Secondly, it is pre cisely a handlist, a book that can be marked and annotated, and which is not a loose collection of A4 printed pages. Thirdly, it is strictly Anglophone, implicitly the lan guage in which most people read Weber and in which most...

The Golem Narrative in Max Weber's Work

The Golem Narrative in Max Weber's Work

Casting Off, and Reclaiming, the Weberian Tradition: Comparative Law and Socio-Legal Studies

One finds everywhere signs of a new rapprochement between comparative law and socio-legal studies. A new series of shared topics, including, in particular, questions surrounding the character of law in transnational or globalized conditions, and the consequences of the exportation or importation of doctrines, practices and institutions associated with the Rule of Law from one jurisdiction to another, engage both comparative lawyers and socio-legal scholars. Likewise, a series of methodological shifts in both fields - shifts emblematic of wider epistemological realignments in law, the humanities and the social sciences - has rendered some of the old fault lines between socio-legal studies and comparative law increasingly obsolete. In this chapter, I consider some of the traditional disputes between comparative lawyers and socio-legal studies as outdated legacies of their different appropriations of the legal sociology of Max Weber. I argue that methodological progress in both fields demands casting off some of the vestiges of the Weberian tradition that continue, consciously or not, to dictate the path of research in both fields. But whatever the problems with Weber's larger argument and comparative methods, certain distinctions, Weber's work also continues to fascinate and I argue that returning to some other aspects of the Weberian tradition - in particular Weber's interest in the character of legal knowledge, and his refusal to situate his work squarely within either legal or sociological methodological camps - directs us to a different future for socio-legal approaches to comparative law.

The Protestant ethic turns 100: essays on the centenary of the Weber thesis

Marking the centennial anniversary of the first publication of Max Weber's essays, a group of internationally recognized Weber scholars review the significance of Weber's essays by addressing their original context, historical reception, and ongoing relevance. Lawrence Scaff, Hartmut Lehmann, Philip Gorski, Stephen Kalberg, Martin Riesebrodt, Donald Nielsen, Peter Kivisto, and the editors offer original perspectives that engage Weber's indelible work so as to inform current issues central to sociology, history, religious studies, political science, economics, and cultural studies. Available in several English translations, the Protestant Ethic is listed by the International Sociological Association among the top five Books of the Century. The Protestant Ethic continues to be a standard assigned reading in undergraduate and graduate courses, spanning a variety of academic disciplines.

“My father knows the minister”

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature on Arab women's conceptions of leadership. By comparing women's leadership authority values in three Arab countries, the paper aims to refine existing gender‐neutral research on leadership in the “Arab world”.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved administering a survey, which had been developed based on Weber's work on authority (1978) and contemporary discussions of implicit leadership theories (ILT). The data (n=320) were drawn from female subjects who were enrolled in upper‐division business major classes in three countries, Oman, Lebanon and the UAE The women thus constituted educated entrants to their respective labor markets. The data were subjected to an analysis of group means on each of the questions, using the Scheffe option available in ANOVA.FindingsThe analysis found evidence of common leadership authority values in the Gulf countries (Oman and the UAE). Lebanon, meanwhile, was distinguished by relatively low levels of “traditional” authority, and very high levels of “charismatic” authority. The findings demonstrate important regional similarities and difference in leadership authority values in the “Arab world.”Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited by the number of countries studied. It is thus anticipated that future comparative research will be extended to include other countries (both Arab and non‐Arab), and men.Practical implicationsLeadership training in the Arab region must be sensitized and tailored to address regional and gender‐specific conceptions of leadership.Originality/valueThe paper challenges and refines widespread meta‐notions and analyses of the “Arab world” and “Arab leadership.”

The Max Weber dictionary: key words and central concepts

Max Weber is one of the world's most important social scientists, but he is also one of the most notoriously difficult to understand. This revised, updated, and expanded edition of The Max Weber Dictionary reflects up-to-the-moment threads of inquiry and introduces the most recent translations and references. Additionally, the authors include new entries designed to help researchers use Weber's ideas in their own work; they illuminate how Weber himself thought theorizing should occur and how he went about constructing a theory. More than an elementary dictionary, however, this work makes a contribution to the general culture and legacy of Weber's work. In addition to entries on broad topics like religion, law, and the West, the completed German definitive edition of Weber's work (Max Weber Gesamtausgabe) necessitated a wealth of new entries and added information on topics like pragmatism and race and racism. Every entry in the dictionary delves into Weber scholarship and acts as a point of departure for discussion and research. As such, this book will be an invaluable resource to general readers, students, and scholars alike.

Managerialism in the Australian public health sector: towards the hyper‐rationalisation of professional bureaucracies

This paper draws on qualitative case-study research to discuss the impact of managerialism on the work organisation of public sector health professionals in Australia. The case studies included 71 semi-structured interviews with a broad range of public sector health professionals (predominantly nursing and allied health professionals, with some doctors and managers). The data are used to examine the implications of managerialism for the organisation of professional (public) bureaucracies. The findings show that while health professionals were able to exert their agency to influence managerial processes, the incorporation of managerial strategies into professional practice placed constraints upon professional autonomy. The impact of managerialism on professional bureaucracies is examined using the neo-Weberian framework of hyper-rationality, an ideal type derived from a combination of four forms of rationality identified in Weber's work: practical, formal, substantive and theoretical rationality. Applied to the social organisation of health-care work, this paper critically examines the utility of the hyper-rationality ideal type, noting its limitations and the insights it provides in conceptualising the impact of managerialism on professional (public) bureaucracies.

Max Weber und Rational Choice by Zenonas Norkus (review)

Book Reviews 155 seem to have read its literature very widely. From an Anglophone perspective, this is very refreshing; so many red herrings and cul-de-sacs simply left unpursued and unexplored. The theme is however the same, whatever the language—selective translations of varying quality in combination with disciplinary developments, together with the efforts of system-builders seeking legitimation, have contrived to hide from us Weber's originality. It is however the variations that make up the tune, in which there is scope for the exploration of ideas and the work of criticism. The caricature of Max Weber that exists in textbook and commentary derives from a compulsion to identify a 'theme' that allows everyone to 'place' Weber, without for the most part ever having to even read him. But if the purpose of our intellectual labour were simply to identify and register 'themes' and then move on to the next 'thinker' we would be like John Osborne's mother, who came to his production of Hamlet and helpfully explained to her friend: 'I've seen it before.. .he dies in the end'.47 Keith Tribe King's School, Worcester Keith Tribe Zenonas Norkus, Max Weber und Rational Choice (Marburg: Metropolis: 2001), pp. 576. ISBN 3-89518-321-0. €59.80 pb. Most of the literature on Weber has been written by historians and by sociologists of humanistic bent. The result is that our understanding of Weber has been somewhat biased in in favour of history and humanistic sociology, while his involvement with marginalist economics has been neglected. It is known, of course, that Weber was influenced by marginalist economics and, especially by the Austrian school of eco nomics—most recently illustrated by Fritz Ringer's Max Weber's Methodology (Cam bridge, MA: Harvard University Press,1997), but the extent to which his interpretive sociology was influenced by this branch of economics has been underestimated. For a similar reason, Weber's role as a precursor of rational choice in social science has also been insufficiently recognized. Norkus' extensive treatment of Weber's role as a pre cursor of rational choice theories fills this lacunae in an excellent way, and is also an important contribution to the development of social scientific theory. Let me say it straight away: this is a great book that contributes significantly to our knowledge both of Max Weber and of rational choice, and, additionally, to a large number of topics that the author touches upon in this comprehensive work of more than 500 pages. Norkus has an impressive grasp of literature in a number of fields and his argumenation is, in general, most convincing. Reading this book takes time, but it is rewarding. Norkus' book is divided into five parts. In the first part, we find a discussion of the relation between Weber's socio-economics and his interpretive (verstehende) sociology. Norkus takes issue with Wilhelm Hennis' interpretation of Weber as belonging firmly to the Historical School in economics and as being a representative of the classical tradition in social philosophy. Norkus agrees that Weber was first of all an economist 47. John Osborne, in his A Better Class of Person 1929-1956, reprinted in his Looking Back: Never Explain, Never Apologise (London: Faber and Faber, 1999), p. 229.© Max Weber Studies 2005. 156 Max Weber Studies and also that he shared some concerns with classical social philosophy, especially the interest in the kind of human beings produced by different societies, but he disagrees with the interpretation of Weber as strongly attached to the Historical School in economics. This interpretation seriously underestimates the extent to which Weber was influenced by marginalist economics, he suggests, and gives a false picture of Weber's work as a whole. I believe that Norkus is entirely correct on this point. In part two, Norkus asks if Weber may be interpreted as a rational choice theorist, avant la lettre. The answer is that Weber was indeed a precursor of contemporary rational choice theories. More precisely, Weber advocated a form of rational choice that insists upon microfoundations, without denying the equal importance of macro foundations. In fact, Weber's own substantive work is mainly at the macrolevel, lacking microfoundations and so...

Editorial: Human Resource Management and Economic Success

Human resource management has long been perceived as an ugly duckling within the wider field of business administration. The perception's roots are manifold. A critical issue, however, has always been that the utility of human resource management to a company's business success has been insufficiently demonstrated. In contrast to other business sub disciplines with deeper roots in classical micro-economic theories of the organization, human resource management could not acquire legitimacy through connectivity to production or sales functions. Although human resource management's practical utility has long been assumed, it requires empirical demonstration. Empirical evidence of an association between human resource management and company economic success has proved difficult. As long as human resource management has not been seen as a coherent pattern or system - in contrast to individual HR practices or loosely tied bundles of instruments - performance may only be ascribed to the specific effects of single instruments or measures. An example is increased employee satisfaction as a result of particular leadership styles, improved motivation due to different compensation packages or work tasks, decreased employee turnover because of enhanced selection procedures, etc. These empirical arguments may be of great interest within the particular field of research, but they do not satisfy, for example, economists. Only the development and implementation of coherent patterns or systems of human resource management practices - following HR's struggle for a strategic orientation - will ensure that the discipline of human resource management faces other sub disciplines on equal terms. Henceforth, proof of single HR instruments' relevance moved from the centre of attention, giving way to examination of the functionality of selected human resource systems for a company's economic success. This change in perspective - from the efficiency and effectiveness of specific instruments to the contribution of human resource management as a whole on an organizational level - has required different data sets than hitherto. Institutions rather than employees are the subject under analysis. In the European context, the Cranfield Network on International Human Resource Management (Cranet) provides longitudinal data on the organisational level since 1989. This dataset allowed, for the first time in Europe, analysis of the association of selected systems of human resource management practices (empirically identifiable as bundles/clusters of human resource measures) with a company's economic success. Cranet, starting with five European countries in 1989, now allows comparative international analysis of 39 (mostly European but also selected non-European) countries. As is often the case when looking at evidence-based research, audience receptivity is more important than advances in theoretical and empirical instruments. In this specific case - as hypothesized by the guest editors - company demand for human resource management has risen. The attraction, development, and retention of specific human capital has moved decisively to centre stage. In short, it is obvious that in the age of post-fordism, human resource management is a major focus of attention for practitioners as well as academics. This issue presents results from an international symposium organised by the guest editors in February 2004 to honour Wolfgang Weber's academic work on the occasion of his 65th birthday. Wolfgang Weber's work has been intimately connected with the discipline's strategic orientation as well as comparative international human resource management's organization and institutional anchoring. It is to our great pleasure that in total eight out of fourteen manuscripts successfully passed through the review process for this special issue, generating a considerable contribution to the research field. Following the standard procedure for each special issue of Management Revue, the first contributions attempt a critical overview of the state-of-the-art, and are followed by empirical studies addressing selected issues exploring the link between human resource management and economic success. …

Discovering Religious History in the Modern Age by Hans G. Kippenberg , Barbara Harshav (review)

Book Reviews 165 Hans G. Kippenberg, Discovering Religious History in the Modern Age (trans. Barbara Harshav; Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002), pp. 263. ISBN 0691009090. $22.95. Given Max Weber's wide-ranging and penetrating preoccupation with religion, his friendship with Ernst Troeltsch, his justified admiration for the latter's Die Soziallehren der christlichen Kirchen und Gruppen (1911), and his friendship with Georg Simmel whose Die Religion (1906) appeared in Martin Buber's remarkable series Die Gesellschaft, Religionsgeschichte should properly be a concern to all those interested in Max Weber's work and the consequences of that work for better understanding humanity and its history. Beyond the specifics of Weber's analysis but entirely in its spirit, one should thus recognize that there is a pressing relevance and importance to the investigation into the modern foundations of the history of religion. First and above all, such an investigation openly confronts the difficult problem of clarifying 'what is religion'? This problem, in tum, can not avoid addressing the character of human understand ing and action. Specifically, such an investigation should not avoid the problem of humanity's place within the animal kingdom, or, alternatively formulated, the con sequences of the ordeal of consciousness, that is, 'mind'.56 Clarifying the nature of the peculiar place of humanity within the animal kingdom has consequences for the social sciences and philosophy, leading to a methodological judgment between, on the one hand, a monistic utilitarianism and, on the other, a pluralistic and conflicting Lebensordnungen, specifically Wertsphären, as Max Weber recognized.57 Second, such an investigation ought to lead to a critical reflection on today's fash ionable categories of analysis that are usually and mostly wrongly taken for granted. The time is long overdue for a critical re-evaluation of the heuristic merit of the cate gory of 'modernity' that would, it is hoped, expose its polemical intentions. Given the persistence and significance of religion in human affairs, such a re-evaluation is surely warranted. In this regard, it is incumbent on scholars of Max Weber's work to set right a misconception of the contribution of Weber's analysis of religion. While it is clear that Weber sought from his studies on religion to provide a 'Beitrag zur Typologie und Soziologie des Rationalismus' ('Zwischenbetrachtung', p. 537, Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Religionssoziologie, vol. 1), that contribution has been woefully misunderstood as indicating a uniform process of rationalization within and across the various spheres of life. In contrast to the never ending and simplistic drivel about the 'iron cage' and bureaucratization that one encounters today, Weber recognized conflicts among the demands of consistency between the different spheres of life and within each. Thus, clarification is badly needed about just what is meant by, and the merit of the use of, the term 'secularization'. These kinds of re-evaluations and clarifications will open other problems for examination: a clarification of the conceptually flabby category of 'civil religion';58 a reconsideration of the boundaries of the categories polytheism, 56. For a recent analysis of this problem, see Walter Burkert, Creation of the Sacred: Tracks of Biology in Early Religions (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1998). 57. For my views on these philosophical implications, see Steven Grosby, 'Plural ism in the Thought of Oakeshott, Shils and Weber', Journal of Classical Sociology 2.1 (2002), pp. 43-58. 58. For my criticism of the category, see Steven Grosby, 'Nationality and Religion', in Steven Grosby, Biblical Ideas of Nationality: Ancient and Modern (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2002), pp. 235-56.© Max Weber Studies 2005. 166 Max Weber Studies paganism, monotheism; and the extent to which it is legitimate to speak of religious 'development' and even 'evolution'. All of this is especially in order if Hans Kippen berg is correct (and it seems to me that he is) when he states that 'the genealogy of modern culture is located in religious history' (p. 132). Such are some of the tasks that fall to the students of Max Weber's work. These tasks are not to be pursued by merely repeating Weber's insights into religion and human action, thereby grossly violating the spirit of Weber's contribution. Those insights are to...

Max Weber: a comprehensive bibliography

The most profound and enduring social theorist of sociology's classical period, Max Weber speaks as cogently to concerns of the new century as he did to those of the past. In Max Weber and the New Century, Alan Sica demonstrated Weber's preeminent position and lasting vitality within social theory by applying his ideas to a broad range of topics of contemporary concern. Max Weber: A Comprehensive Bibliography is a companion volume that offers some 4,600 bibliographic listings of work on Weber, making it the most complete guide to the literature in English and a testament to the continued vitality of Weber's thought. Sica's work supersedes all previous bibliographical efforts covering the Weber literature, both in the quantity and accuracy of its references, and the clarity and convenience of its format. In order to demonstrate the enormous variety of Weberiana in English, Sica has adopted a liberal criterion for inclusion, rather than a critical one, choosing to mix the best with what may be more routine work. Following a preface in which previous bibliographies and bibliographic problems are discussed, the volume opens with a series of five specialized bibliographies. The first lists Weber's works in English translation. The second lists reviews of Weber's major works including those translated into English, while the third covers reviews of recent books and other work on Weber. The fourth section contains a selection of dissertations and theses relating to Weber or his ideas. The fifth includes primary and secondary sources treating Weber on rationality and rationalization processes. The last and largest section offers a comprehensive Weber bibliography of works in English. This large-scale endeavor attempts to identify with accuracy and completeness the entire universe of Weber scholarship in English. It will be an essential scholarly tool for sociologists, historians, economists, and students of cultural and intellectual history.

Ein bisher unveröffentlichter Brief von Rudolf Kohlrausch and Andreas v. Ettingshausen von 1854, das Kohlrausch-Weber-Experiment von 1854/55 und die Lichtgeschwindigkeit in Wilhelm Webers Elektrodynamik

The reason for this letter was a belated delivery of the sinuselectrometer to the Austrian mathematician and physicist A.v. Ettingshausen in Vienna. The instrument was designed by R. Kohlrausch and made by the mechanic of the university in Marburg. By means of ths instrument the relations of charges could be measured. At the end of the letter Kohlrausch reported on the experiment made together with Wilhelm Weber for the determination of the relation between the absolute electrostatic and electromagnetic measured charges. The result was the velocity of light, but not perceived as such by Weber and Kohlrausch. In 1857 G. R. Kirchhoff was the first to define the connection between C w and C l ( $$c_w = \sqrt 2 \cdot c_L $$ ). for a better understanding the dimensions of the Triple-Systems (Dreiersysteme) are used in the article. A. v. Ettingshausen was in close contact with the university of Gottingen and published the results of C. F. Gauss' and Weber's research work in the Danubian monarchy at an early time. When in 1857 Kirchhoff presented his two important works on the undulatory motion of electricity in conductors to J. C. Poggendorff, the editor of the Annals of Physics and Chemistry—Kirchhoff's works contain a preliminary form of the telegraph-equations—it became apparent that W. Weber and R. Kohlrausch had almost brought about a similar work and had come to the same result as Kirchhoff. On account of Kohlrausch's death in 1858 W. Weber was forced to finish the work by himself and published it only 1864 entitled “Uber elektrische Schwingungen”. 1861 Maxwell at once discerned the velocity of light in the result and was now able to develop his elctromagnetic theory of light.

Rationalisation, charisma and accounting professionalisation: perspectives on the intra-professional conflict in Greece, 1993–2001

During the 1990s Greek auditors and branches of international accounting firms in Greece fought a veritable professional war over the jurisdiction of statutory auditing. This intra-professional conflict developed against a backdrop of profound changes in the socio-economic and political fabric of the country, along pro-liberal, free market lines. This paper looks at a particular episode of that conflict––an attempt by the indigenous auditors to regain the monopoly of practice they lost, following the `liberalisation' of the Greek auditing profession in 1992. The paper argues that Max Weber's theoretical work on history and social development can be applied in helping to understand complex processes of contemporary change in the accounting profession. The analysis of this case study posits that rationalisation and charisma play a major role in helping to effect historical change through their influence on class–status–party, the tripartite stratificatory structure of modern society. In these encounters, multifarious social, economic and political actors with overlapping or differing interests interact with one another. The end result is that historical development is read as a fluid process whose outcome appears uncertain, although certain trends may be discernible in the particular historical juncture examined in this case study.

Max Weber na sociologia Argentina (1930-1950)

The thinking of Max Weber became known in the Argentina academic community in the years preceding the first translations of his General Economic History and Economy and Society into Spanish, published by Fondo de Cultura Economica in 1942 and 1944, respectively. The first Argentine references to Weber's work appear in the early 1930s in an intellectual context marked by the revolt against Positivism and the spread of German thinking in general and German sociological thinking in particular. Throughout that period, sociology was an emerging field and sociologists faced the task of justifying their practice and approaches. Nevertheless, there were different views of the discipline, each of which articulating a specific interpretation of Weber's thinking.