Economy & Society

HRM presentation
By Group 7 Section A
DIVLEEN PGP30017
MANIL PGP30031
SHIVA PGP30047
SAKSHI PGP30048
SUDHA PGP30052
VAISHNAVI PGP30057
ADITI PGP30060

Economy and Society

Economy is an essential part of society
The dynamics of the relation between
economy and society has been highly debated
Works of classical sociologists Marx, Durkheim
and Weber have been analysed in this study
Each developed differing viewpoints and form
the foundation of classical sociology

Marx
Economic base determines ideology,
politics and religion which determines
society
Society is defined by its productive forces
and social relations contained in
production of material life
Tribal
Three
main forms Ancient
of property:
social structure
of family
Relatively
primitive

Development of
cities
Union of
multiple tribes

Feudal
Development
of countries
Guilds of
craftsmen

 There exists a conflict between common and individual

interests
Communism and communal control of means of
production frees division of labor and privatization of
property
Ruling economic class determines the dominant ideology
in a society

Po
liti
ca
l

Social
Economic base

Durkheims contributions
Criticism on Marxs
Economy has no privileged position in social
superstructure
Social fact as an external thing that has a coercive
force that controls the individual
Anomie
Breakdown of social norms regulating behavior
All deviant behavior stems from a state of anomy,
including suicide.
Acute economic anomy distinguished by sporadic
decreases in the ability of traditional institutions to
regulate social needs
Chronic economic anomy distinguished by long
term diminution of social regulation.

 Anomy - natural result of decline of

mechanical solidarity and rise of organic
solidarity due to division of labor and
industrialization.
Religion as an important social factor
Saw totemism as the original form of
religion, because it was the emblem
for the social group, the clan.
Saw religion as a mechanism that
protected a threatened social order.

Suicide
An act of severing of social
relationships
Abnormally high or low levels of
social integration would lead to
higher suicide rates
Results found that suicide rates are
higher for Protestants than
Catholics because Catholics are
socially controlled (suicide is a sin
in Catholism)

Webers theory
Religion forms the base and economy the
superstructure
People in capitalistic society tend to be
Protestants, who favor a technical and industrial
oriented education
Utilitarianism drives Protestants to pursue the
spirit of capitalism/wealth accumulation
He cites education, not profit motive, as the
reason for a capitalist ethic
He deduced that calling is unique to Protestants
in that its criterion is found in private
profitableness
Irrational ascetic aspect is that modern capitalist
accumulates wealth without enjoying it

Factors connecting economy to society

Action is social when it is guided by the behavior of
others
Economy is a social phenomenon; it results from
communities in which goods are distributed
Such a distribution is always unequal and involves power
Classes, status groups and parties are phenomena of
the distribution of power within a community
Class no of people have in common economic interests
in the possession of goods and opportunities for income
in commodity/labor markets
Collective action is determined by the connections
between causes and consequences of the class situation
Status groups are determined by distribution of social
honor

Marx
EconomyBase
determinin
g social
structure
Felt that
communist
revolution
was
inevitable

Conclusion
Durkhei
m
EconomyOne of
many
factors that
make up
society
Measures
societies in
terms of
health and
illness

Weber
EconomyExtension
of religious
belief
Claimed
ideology
was a
determinan
t of social
organizatio
n

Findings
The insights of the 3 sociologists are relevant
in the modern world
Antonio further divided Marxs superstructure
into two- political and civil society
Wilheim Reich categorised social ideology as
an element in the base, similar to durkheim
All these theories are based on assumptions
and beliefs held by these sociologists which
differ from one another.
A comprehensive analysis of all these theories
gives a better understanding of the real world