Neil Fligstein

Neil Fligstein
Neil Fligstein, UC Berkeley sociologist and expert in economic sociology.
Born	1951|5|23 Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Citizenship	American
Known for	A Theory of Fields Markets as Politics Political-cultural approach to markets Theory of social fields
Awards	Class of 1939 Chancellor’s Professor, UC Berkeley (1997) Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (1994–95) Guggenheim Fellow (2004–05) Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Fellow (2007) Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2010)
Academic work
Notable works	The Architecture of Markets Euroclash A Theory of Fields (with Doug McAdam)

Neil Fligstein (born May 23, 1951) is an American sociologist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His research spans economic sociology, political sociology, and organizational theory.

Fligstein's theoretical work in economic sociology includes developing a "political-cultural" approach to "markets in corporate control," "the architecture of markets," and "markets as politics." These concepts have been applied to study the European Union's development of a single market through cooperative political processes. In 2012, he co-authored A Theory of Fields with Doug McAdam, which proposes a unified framework for analyzing social orders in politics, economics, and social movements.

Biography

Born in Seattle, Washington, Fligstein received his BA in 1973 from Reed College, an MS in 1976 from the University of Wisconsin, and a PhD in 1979 from the University of Wisconsin.

In 1979, he began his academic career as an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Arizona. From 1980 to 1982, he served as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Postdoctoral Fellow and Senior Study Director at the National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago. He then returned to the University of Arizona, where he was promoted to associate professor in 1984 and to full professor in 1990. In 1991, he joined the University of California, Berkeley as a professor of sociology, serving as department chair from 1992 to 1995. He is the founder and director of the Center for Culture, Organization, and Politics at Berkeley's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. In 2001, Fliegstein published The Architecture of Markets, which has become one of the key works in economic sociology and explores how social and political processes shape and regulate markets.

Academic work

Fligstein's work examines the formation, stabilization, and transformation of social institutions. He proposes that social action occurs within "meso-level social orders" or "fields," where individuals and groups compete for shared objectives. In A Theory of Fields, Fligstein and McAdam suggest that early-stage social orders resemble social movements, characterized by fluid definitions of goals, participants, and governing norms.

Fligstein emphasizes "social skill"—defined as the ability to foster cooperation through empathy—as crucial for establishing and maintaining social fields. He argues that skilled actors facilitate social order by creating collective identities.

Theory of markets

Fligstein's market theory proposes that markets emerge as meso-level orders where established players and challengers compete for dominance. He suggests that incumbents often shape market logic through "conceptions of control." He also highlights the state's role in stabilizing markets through regulation and intervention. His "markets as politics" framework is a significant approach within economic sociology.

History of the large American corporation

Fligstein's study of U.S. corporations from 1870 to 1980 traces the evolution of corporate strategies in response to competition, and how this redefined ownership and management dynamics.

Construction of a European legal and political system

Fligstein's analysis of the European Single Market project focuses on its role in facilitating cross-border trade for businesses. He argues that EU legal and political integration increased trade efficiency.

In Euroclash, Fligstein explores how EU integration has influenced industries, identities, and politics. He notes that approximately 13% of Europeans primarily identify as European, often educated professionals with liberal views, while about half do so occasionally. He posits that integration progresses with majority national support but remains subordinate to national political concerns.

Honors

Fligstein was named the Class of 1939 Chancellor’s Professor at UC Berkeley in 1997. He held fellowships at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (1994–95), the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (2004–05), and the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center (2007). Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2010, he has served as a visiting scholar at various institutions including the Max Planck Institute, Sciences Po, and the European University Institute.

Selected publications

Fligstein, Neil and Doug McAdam. A Theory of Fields. Oxford University Press, 2012.

Fligstein, Neil. Euroclash: The EU, European Identity, and the Future of Europe. Oxford University Press, 2008.

Fligstein, Neil. The Transformation of Corporate Control. Harvard University Press, 1990.

Fligstein, Neil. The Architecture of Markets: An Economic Sociology of Twenty-First-Century Capitalist Societies. Princeton University Press, 2001.

Sweet, Alec Stone, Wayne Sandholtz, and Neil Fligstein, eds. The Institutionalization of Europe. Oxford University Press, 2001.

Articles (selected)

Fligstein, Neil (1985). "The spread of the multidivisional form among large firms, 1919-1979". American Sociological Review. 1985 (3): 377–391. doi:10.2307/2095547. JSTOR 2095547.

Fligstein, Neil (1996). "Markets as politics: A political-cultural approach to market institutions" (PDF). American Sociological Review. 1996 (4): 656–673. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.695.455. doi:10.2307/2096398. JSTOR 2096398. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-11.

Fligstein, Neil (1997). "Social skill and institutional theory". American Behavioral Scientist. 40 (4): 397–405. doi:10.1177/0002764297040004003. S2CID 144547075.

Fligstein, Neil (2001). "Social skill and the theory of fields" (PDF). Sociological Theory. 19 (2): 105–125. doi:10.1111/0735-2751.00132. S2CID 15605148.

External links

Neil Fligstein at UC Berkeley