Overview

One of the predominant trends of modern society is the pervasive presence of competition. No longer just a function of economic markets or democratic systems, competition has become a favoured tool for governing people and organizations, from the provision of schooling and elder care to the way we consume popular culture. Yet social scientists have played a surprisingly modest role in analysing its implications, as the discussion of competition has largely been confined to its narrow economic meaning. This book opens up competition for the study of social scientists. Its central message is that while competition seems ubiquitous, it should not be taken for granted or be naturalized as an inevitable aspect of human existence. Its emergence, maintenance, and change are based on institutions and organizational efforts, and a central challenge for social science is to learn more about these processes and their outcomes.With the use of a novel definition of competition, more fundamental questions can be addressed than merely whether or not competition works. How is competition constructed - and by whom? Which behaviours result from competition? What are its consequences? Can competition be removed? And, how do these factors vary with the object of competition - be it money, attention, status, or other scarce and desired objects? This book investigates these and more questions in studies of competition among and within schools, universities, multinational corporations, auditors, waste-disposal firms, fashion designers, and more.

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9780192898012

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Reviews

Prizes, contests, league tables-much of social life has been transformed into a sport. The essays in this fascinating volume make sense of both the allure and the costs of vying to be at the top of the charts, and reveal the massive social construction project that undergirds competing. * Walter W. Powell, Stanford University * In a welcome return to a classic theme in social science, this book goes beyond the standard economic analysis of competition in markets to help us understand who brokers competition and how it plays out, using case studies ranging from Christmas decorations to food waste rankings. A serious and important analysis. * Christopher Hood, University of Oxford * This exceptional volume gathers a variety of provocative papers that as a whole set a new, important agenda on the sources and consequences (good and bad) of competition. It is a must read for anyone interested in understanding how competition has become a default solution for many aspects of social and economic life, and how we should become more mindful about embracing it as a cure-all for problems we face. * Michael Lounsbury, University of Alberta *

Author Information

Stefan Arora-Jonsson is Chair in Organization and Society at Uppsala University, Sweden. Nils Brunsson is Professor of Management affiliated with Uppsala University and the Stockholm Centre for Organizational Research (SCORE), Sweden. Raimund Hasse is Professor of Sociology and Head of the Institute for Sociology at the University of Lucerne, Switzerland. Katarina Lagerström is Associate Professor in Business Studies at Uppsala University, Sweden.

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