Convention Theory and Valuation in Comtemporary Art: The Convergence and Tension between Art and Capitalism

Junya Tatemi (2024)

Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, Vol.43 No.1-3 Autumn 2024 pp.2-19

Abstract. In this paper, we take Boltanski and Chiapello’s ‘The New Spirit of Capitalism’ as the warp and woof of a theoretical framework for understanding the valorization of art and culture in relation to the political economy process of contemporary capitalism. It is the theoretical framework for understanding the valorization of art and culture in relation to the political-economic processes of modern capitalism. The concept of ‘art world’ is discussed in the context of the political economy of contemporary capitalism. By rethinking the concept of the art world from the perspective of convulsion theory, the following findings were obtained. The value of art and culture is determined by the value of the art world. The value of art and culture is determined by the ‘quality practices’ shared within the art world. The value of art and culture arises as a result of a series of operations that highlight, evaluate, and test specific attributes inherent in objects/situations, with reference to the ‘quality practices’ shared within the art world. It is the result of a series of operations that highlight, evaluate, and test specific attributes inherent to an object/situation with reference to shared ‘quality practices’ within the art world. It is created through practices in pragmatic situations, in which not only people but also things are involved. Value is created and re-created through interactions in the complex interweaving of people and things (i.e., situations). With this, the art world is redefined not only as the world of people, but also as a world composed of people and things. This shows that the political economy over the power of valorization emerges as an important issue. This allows us to examine the relationship between the art world and its external world, especially capitalism. This provides a perspective from which to examine the relationship between the art world and its external world, and capitalism in particular.

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Circulation and Reception of the Category Economically Active Population in Argentina (1940-1955): Contexts, International Links and Positioning

Lautaro Lazarte (2024)

Población y sociedad, 31(2) Open access

Resumen. Este artículo indaga sobre la construcción y circulación de categorías estandarizadas para cuantificar la fuerza de trabajo en el siglo XX, a partir del caso del indicador Población Económicamente Activa. Esta métrica formó parte de un movimiento global de producción homogénea de cifras, construcción de nuevos saberes disciplinares y la formación de redes de contacto. Para Argentina, se reconstruyen sus primeros usos por parte de José Francisco Figuerola, Juan Carlos Elizaga y Gino Germani, su vinculación con estos ámbitos internacionales y su posicionamiento respecto del término.

Abstract. This article investigates the construction and circulation of standardized categories used to quantify the labor force in the twentieth century, based on the case of the Economically Active Population indicator. This metric was part of a global movement toward the homogeneous production of figures, the construction of new disciplinary knowledge and the formation of contact networks. For Argentina, we reconstruct its early uses by José Francisco Figuerola, Juan Carlos Elizaga and Gino Germani, connection they had to international spheres and their positioning with respect to the term.

Scope for discretion. Practical considerations on negotiation processes in case discussions in youth social work

Michael Rölver (2024)

Weinheim: Beltz/Juventa. Open access

Über das Buch. Fachkräfte der Sozialen Arbeit sind herausgefordert, in komplexen, oftmals uneindeutigen Situationen Entscheidungen zu treffen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden Ermessensspielräume in Fallbesprechungen der Jugendsozialarbeit empirisch nachgewiesen und in der Entstehung rekonstruiert. Bei ihrer interaktiven Aushandlung kommt nicht nur theoretisches, sondern auch praktisches, implizites Wissen zum Ausdruck. Auf spezifische Weise fallen in diesen Aushandlungsprozessen fachliche Autonomie und Reproduktion sozialer Ordnung zusammen. Im Umgang mit Uneindeutigkeiten werden Praktiken der Bewältigung erkennbar, die auf die Wahrnehmung von fachlichen Handlungsmöglichkeiten gerichtet sind. Ermessensspielräume werden daher als zentrale Orte der Vermittlung professionalisierter Praxis konzipiert.

Auszug: “Ein weiterer Ansatz, der sich mit der Bedeutung von Institutionen befasst, ist die Soziologie der Konventionen. Konventionen sind demnach Interpretationsrahmen zur Koordination und Evaluation von Handlungen […]. Situative Interaktionen und der Entwurf von Begründungsfiguren sind von entscheidender Bedeutung. Institutionen beruhen auf Konventionen, die ihrerseits auf Gesten und Bewertungen aufbauen, die wechselseitige Erwartungen erzeugen (vgl. Wagner 1993, S. 469 f.). Es wird ein alternativer Ansatz zu dem von Weber entwickelten Konzept instrumenteller Handlungen und der von Bourdieu vorgeschlagenen Theorie des Habitus entwickelt (Diaz-Bone/Thévenot 2010, S. 7).” (S. 101/102)

About the book. Social work professionals are challenged to make decisions in complex, often ambiguous situations. In this study, the scope for discretion in case discussions in youth social work is empirically proven and reconstructed in its development. In their interactive negotiation, not only theoretic but also practical, implicit knowledge is expressed. In these negotiation processes, professional autonomy and the reproduction of social order coincide in a specific way. In dealing with ambiguities, practices of coping become recognizable that are directed towards the perception of professional possibilities for action. Discretionary leeway is therefore conceived as a central place for the mediation of professionalized practice.

Extract: “Another approach that deals with the significance of institutions is the sociology of conventions. According to this, conventions are interpretative frameworks for the coordination and evaluation of actions […]. Situational interactions and the design of justification figures are of decisive importance. Institutions are based on conventions, which in turn are based on gestures and evaluations that generate mutual expectations (cf. Wagner 1993, p. 469 f.). An alternative approach to the concept of instrumental actions developed by Weber and the theory of habitus proposed by Bourdieu is developed (Diaz-Bone/Thévenot 2010, p. 7).” (S. 101/102)

Weibo Li (2024)

Technology and Society, Vol. 78, September 2024, 102635

Abstract. Studies of quantification are an emerging academic interest due to the datafication and quantification trends in modern society. The existing literature on this interdisciplinary field involves two approaches: a history of science approach and a sociology approach. This article argues for adding perspectives from the philosophy of technology. The philosophy of technology raises otherwise neglected ontological, epistemological, and ethical questions about the technology of quantification. Quantification as social technology is non-neutral and exhibits social constructed features, which beyond the commonly perceived realist opinions. The social-constructed quantification also has the ability to influence social agents, mediating the way humans exist in and understand the life world. Ethical and political questions about quantification call for integration into an already rich ethical and political discourse surrounding technological artifacts, actions, and political agendas.

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Haruka Ueda & Yu-Chan Chiu (2024)

Appetite, Vol 199, 1 August 2024, 107392

Abstract. In contemporary societies with diverse but often conflicting values attached to eating, it is important to scrutinise what eating well means to a given population. While such attempts have been pioneered, mostly in Western countries, Asia has been rarely explored. Moreover, food scholars in Western countries have called for in-depth analysis of the impacts of food modernisation on our everyday eating models, but empirical data about Asia and its implications for the plurality of food modernisation have been limited. To narrow this knowledge gap, we replicated Ueda’s previous survey in Japan by utilising the same web-based questionnaire in a study of the Taiwanese population (n = 920, aged 20–69) to elucidate their eating model across all dimensions; that is, not only meal content but also the temporal, spatial, social, qualitative and affective facets. It was found that, similarly to other parts of the world, the Taiwanese have experienced the so-called ‘destructuration’ of their eating model, including two out of five habitually skipping meals; one out of four eating out 14 times or more in a week; and three out of five eating alone for breakfast. The destructuration also extended to their dietary norms, which marked a sharp contrast with other countries, such as Japan and France, where many eaters experience dilemmas due to high ideals and reality. We argue that this interesting phenomenon is due to the ‘compressed’ food modernity that Taiwan experienced. This study is the first attempt to provide comprehensive data about the eating model in Taiwan. Further empirical studies, particularly in other Asian regions, are expected to advance our thinking about a complex relationship between food modernity and well-being.

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Soudias, Dimitris (2024)
In: European Journal of Social Theory 27(4), pp. 602–621.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13684310241228531

ABSTRACT
“Radical critique and praxis today face an unprecedented challenge because neoliberal rationalities partly succeeded in encroaching upon emancipatory ambitions. On the one hand, as critical sociology informs us, this is because many of the utilitarian tenets of neoliberal rationalities have become naturalized in everyday conduct. On the other hand, as pragmatic sociology shows, because neoliberalism has succeeded in incorporating critical activity into its mode of functioning, challenging neoliberalism comes at the cost of its partial reproduction. Against this backdrop, the goal of this article is to reconsider both the role of critique in neoliberalism and the mode of inquiry of critique, in order to map out an ‘alter-neoliberal analysis’: a normative mode of critical inquiry that seeks to discover what would need to be the case for a future beyond neoliberalism to be conceivable. Building on the inferential logic of abduction, alter-neoliberal analysis (1) defamiliarizes the opaque ways in which neoliberal rationalities encroach upon practices, so as to (2) critique them in ways that curtail their reproduction and (3) radically imagine politico-epistemological positions that are unintelligible to neoliberal rationalities.”
Download link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/reader/10.1177/13684310241228531

State control of early childhood education – consequences for policy, profession and pedagogy

Kvamme, Ingunn (2024)

PhD thesis. Agder: University of Agder. Norwegian publication

Abstrakt. Denne avhandlingen utvikler mer kunnskap om norsk barnehagepolitikk på grunnlag av en analyse av den statlige styringen av barnehagens pedagogiske innhold. Avhandlingen er nærmere bestemt en studie av forskriftsprosessen til den gjeldende Rammeplan for barnehagen: Forskrift om rammeplan for barnehagens innhold og oppgaver, som ble publisert av Kunnskapsdepartement 24. april 2017 (Kunnskapsdepartementet, 2017b). Rammeplanen for barnehagen kan regnes som et av de viktigste statlige styringsverktøyene når det gjelder barnehagens pedagogiske innhold (Borgund & Børhaug, 2016; Kunnskapsdepartementet, 2017b). Gjennom avhandlingen, har jeg undersøkt hvordan den gjeldende rammeplanen for barnehagen ble utarbeidet under ledelse av Kunnskapsdepartementet. Hensikten med avhandlingen har vært å skape en sammenhengende, sosiologisk fremstilling som skal bidra til utvidede perspektiver og mer kunnskap når det gjelder norsk barnehagepolitikk.
Barnehagereformen i 2003 kan tenkes å ha bidratt til å endre den politiske betydningen av barnehagens pedagogiske innhold. Barnehagereformen førte til at barnehagen ble en velferdsstatlig tjeneste som omfatter det store flertallet av barn fra 1-5 år (Korsvold 2005b; Statistisk Sentralbyrå [SSB], 2023). For når barnehagens pedagogiske innhold berører flertallet av barn i Norge, har det interesse for langt flere foreldre, ansatte i barnehagesektoren, politikere og en rekke andre samfunnsaktører. Det er derfor rimelig å anta at de omfattende samfunnsmessige endringene av barnehagen siden barnehagereformen betyr at den politiske styringen av barnehagens pedagogiske innhold må begrunnes og legitimeres på en annen måte enn tidligere, da barnehagen omfattet et mindretall av norske barn. Økende politisk styring over barnehagesektoren, kan også tenkes å utfordre barnehagelærerprofesjonens innflytelse på den pedagogiske virksomheten i barnehagen. En del i barnehagesektoren mener også at den statlige styring av barnehagen utfordrer barnehagens grunnverdier – lek, læring, danning og omsorg. Det vil si at en del mener at utdanningspolitiske føringer bidrar til økt vektlegging av læring og til at det pedagogiske innholdet i barnehagen får mer likhet med det en har i skolen (Lillemyr og Samuelson 2018; Skjæveland 2016a; Pettersvold & Østrem, 2019). På denne bakgrunnen er det interessant å undersøke hvordan barnehagens pedagogiske innhold styres politisk i etterkant av barnehagereformen gitt det brede spekteret av aktører og interesser det er forbundet med. Det er også interessant undersøke hvilke uenigheter og spenninger – særlig knyttet til barnehagens grunnverdier – som finnes blant ulike barnehagepolitiske aktører.
Hovedproblemstillingen i denne avhandlingen er konsekvensene av den utvidede statlige styringen av barnehagens pedagogiske innhold. Styringen kan påvirke politiske prosesser og deres legitimitet, den kan påvirke barnehagelærerprofesjonens legitimitet og barnehagens pedagogiske grunnverdier. Denne problemstillingen drøfter slik sett forhold og normative spenninger mellom politikk, profesjon og pedagogikk. For å få kunnskap om problemstillingen, har jeg studert forskriftsprosessen knyttet til RP 2017.
Metodisk er forskriftsprosessen behandlet som et case, som jeg har analysert fra den ble påbegynt i 2013 og til og med rammeplanen ble offentliggjort i 2017. Forskriftsprosessen er undersøkt ved hjelp av kvalitative data, særlig ifra intervjuer og politiske dokumenter. Caset er undersøkt gjennom tre forskningsspørsmål som munner ut i hvert sitt analysekapittel.
Analysen er gjort ved hjelp av en bestemt teoretisk retning innenfor politisk sosiologi. Denne retningen betegnes gjerne som «pragmatisk sosiologi», og har i stor grad blitt utviklet av Luc Boltanski og Laurent Thévenot (Boltanski & Thévenot 2006). Jeg har særlig benyttet sistnevntes «engasjementssosiologi» i avhandlingen. Gjennom engasjementssosiologien har Laurent Thévenot både teoretisert og utforsket et bredt spekter av politiske engasjement som også foregår i en rekke ulike politiske nivåer og konstruksjoner. Politisk virksomhet er forbundet med maktutøvelse som kan å bekostning av noe eller noen. Men maktens kjennetegn, den styrke og omfang avhenger av den spesifikke sammenhengen og må derfor undersøkes empirisk (Thévenot, 2011, 2015, 2016a, kap. 2). Engasjementssosiologien dreier seg om menneskers moralske bekymringer, tvil og kritikk når det gjelder hva som står på spill eller ofres gjennom den maktformen som vinner frem (Hansen 2023, s. 14).
Analysen viser hvordan den økte statlige styringen av barnehagens pedagogiske innhold skaper en rekke ulike politiske og normative spenninger i barnehagesektoren. Spenningene er knyttet til det nypluralistiske demokratiske paradokset, til barnehagelærerprofesjonens legitimitet og til barnehagens pedagogiske grunnverdier.

Abstract. This thesis develops more knowledge about Norwegian kindergarten policy on the basis of an analysis of the state governance of kindergarten’s educational content. More specifically, the thesis is a study of the regulatory process for the current Framework Plan for Kindergarten: Forskrift om rammeplan for barnehagens innhold og oppgaver, which was published by the Ministry of Education and Research on April 24, 2017 (Kunnskapsdepartementet, 2017b). The framework plan for kindergarten can be regarded as one of the most important state management tools when it comes to kindergarten’s educational content (Borgund & Børhaug, 2016; Kunnskapsdeparte-mentet, 2017b). Through the thesis, I have investigated how the current framework plan for kindergarten was developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Research. The purpose of the thesis has been to create a coherent, sociological presentation that will contribute to expanded perspectives and more knowledge regarding Norwegian kindergarten policy.
The 2003 kindergarten reform may have contributed to changing the political significance of the pedagogical content of kindergarten. The kindergarten reform led to kindergarten becoming a welfare state service that covers the vast majority of children aged 1-5 years (Korsvold 2005b; Statistics Norway [SSB], 2023). When the educational content of kindergarten affects the majority of children in Norway, it is of interest to far more parents, employees in the kindergarten sector, politicians and a number of other social actors. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the extensive societal changes in kindergarten since the kindergarten reform mean that the political control of kindergarten’s educational content must be justified and legitimized in a different way than previously, when kindergarten covered a minority of Norwegian children. Increasing political control over the kindergarten sector may also challenge the kindergarten teacher profession’s influence on the pedagogical activities in kindergarten. Some in the kindergarten sector also believe that government control of kindergartens challenges the basic values of kindergartens – play, learning, education and care. In other words, some believe that educational policy guidelines contribute to an increased emphasis on learning and to the pedagogical content in kindergarten becoming more similar to that in school (Lillemyr and Samuelson 2018; Skjæveland 2016a; Pettersvold & Østrem, 2019). Against this backdrop, it is interesting to examine how kindergarten’s educational content is managed politically in the aftermath of the kindergarten reform, given the wide range of actors and interests involved. It is also interesting to investigate what disagreements and tensions – particularly related to the fundamental values of kindergarten – exist among different kindergarten policy actors. The main issue in this dissertation is the consequences of the expanded state control of kindergarten’s educational content. This governance can affect political processes and their legitimacy, and it can affect the legitimacy of the kindergarten teacher profession and the kindergarten’s basic educational values. This research question thus discusses relationships and normative tensions between politics, profession and pedagogy. In order to gain knowledge about the problem, I have studied the regulatory process related to RP 2017.
Methodologically, the regulatory process is treated as a case, which I have analyzed from its inception in 2013 until the framework plan was published in 2017. The regulatory process is investigated using qualitative data, particularly from interviews and policy documents. The case is examined through three research questions, each leading to a separate analysis chapter. The analysis is done using a specific theoretical direction within political sociology. This direction is often referred to as “pragmatic sociology” and has largely been developed by Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot (Boltanski and Thévenot 2006). I have made particular use of the latter’s “sociology of engagement” in this thesis. Through the sociology of engagement, Laurent Thévenot has both theorized and explored a broad spectrum of political engagement that also takes place in a number of different political levels and constructions. Political activity is associated with the exercise of power at the expense of something or someone. However, the characteristics, strength and scope of power depend on the specific context and must therefore be examined empirically (Thévenot, 2011, 2015, 2016a, chapter 2). The sociology of engagement is concerned with people’s moral concerns, doubts and criticism regarding what is at stake or sacrificed through the form of power that is gaining ground (Hansen 2023, p. 14). The analysis shows how the increased state control of kindergarten’s educational content creates a number of different political and normative tensions in the kindergarten sector. The tensions are linked to the neo-pluralist democratic paradox, to the legitimacy of the kindergarten teacher profession and to the basic educational values of kindergarten.

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Anthony Wenndt, Stella Nordhagen, Augustine Okoruwa, Nwando Onuigbo-Chatta, Haley Swartz, Paul Andohol, Stephens Igho & Elisabetta Lambertini (2025)

Journal of Rural Studies, 114: 103527

Abstract. Traditional food markets are critical for ensuring access to nutritious foods in low- and middle-income countries but are often overlooked as key intervention points to mitigate the risks associated with foodborne hazards. To date, there has been little investigation into how food safety risk perceptions among rural market vendors influence food safety-promoting behaviors. Focusing on Kebbi State in northwestern Nigeria, we first conducted a rapid appraisal of food markets to identify the similarities and differences between rural and non-rural markets, clarifying the context in which food safety-promoting behaviors are performed and for which interventions targeting food safety behavior change might be designed. Then, a qualitative ethnographic examination of food safety risk perception (FSRP) and food safety-promoting behaviors among rural market vendors was conducted to further understand the extent to which perceived risk drives behavior, relative to other factors. The study revealed that rural markets have distinct features that warrant context-aware interventions, but also identified shared characteristics that may be relevant for improving vendor behaviors across the rural-urban continuum. The ethnographic study found evidence for a strong link between FSRP and food safety-promoting behaviors, but discovered that FSRP works as a behavioral driver in conjunction with other factors. In particular, whether and how vendors acted on FSRP was significantly moderated by their perceptions of their customers’ priorities. This analysis highlights the specific constraints faced by rural vendors, and points to the potential utility of FSRP for influencing behavior change in rural market settings and beyond in low- and middle-income country settings.

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Methodological Expertise and Limitations of Evidence in Science Communication

Willibald Stronegger (2024)

Zeitschrift für medizinische Ethik, 70(4). Open access, pp. 453-469

Zusammenfassung.
Erfolgreiche Wissenschaftskommunikation muss die Komplexität von wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisprozessen berücksichtigen. Dies erfordert bei den beteiligten Personen grundlegende Kompetenzen über die naturwissenschaftliche Erkenntnismethoden hinsichtlich ihrer Grundlagen, Möglichkeiten und Limitationen. Insbesondere müssen sie die Geltung empirischer Studien und ihre Relevanz für Zielgruppen beurteilen und die Einhaltung von Evidenzstandards erkennen können, um Falschinformationen und Fehlentscheidungen zu verhindern.

Auszug: „Evidenz kann in der Folge des Induktionsproblems empirischer Forschung immer nur graduell sein, und dieser Sachverhalt müsste als Grundwissen in jeder Wissenschaftskommunikation Berücksichtigung finden. Noch grundlegender gilt aus wissenschaftstheoretischer Perspektive: „Es gibt keine Evidenz an sich: Nur bestimmte Daten stellen vor einem bestimmten Hintergrundwissen einen Beleg für oder gegen ein bestimmtes Aussagensystem dar“. Ohne Kontextualisierung von Daten und ihrem Gewinnungsprozess besitzen diese keine eindeutige Aussage: Daten bzw. sogenannte „Fakten“ allein sprechen nicht für sich. So gewinnt beispielsweise seit einigen Jahren ein neues Konzept in der Wirtschaftssoziologie unter dem Titel „L’economie des conventions“ (kurz: EC) an Beachtung. Es handelt sich bei der EC um „einen anwendungsbezogenen Ansatz, der die empirische Analyse der ökonomischen Koordination und der darin erfolgenden Konstruktionen von Wertigkeiten ermöglicht“. Unter dem für die EC zentralen Begriff der Konvention werden „empirische und normative Wertigkeitsordnungen, die ein kollektives Gut anvisieren und ein Wertesystem beinhalten“, verstanden. In der angeführten Definition klingt bereits eine Stärke dieses Zuganges an, nämlich die explizite Thematisierung von zumeist impliziten Wertungen, welche sich häufig hinter vorgeblicher (Schein-)Objektivität verbergen, wie beispielsweise bei der Konstruktion von statistischen Indikatoren.“ (S. 460-461)

Abstract. Successful science communication must take into account the complexity of scientific knowledge processes. This requires the actors involved to have basic skills in scientific research methods with regard to their principles, possibilities and limitations. In particular, they must be able to assess the validity of empirical studies and their relevance for target groups and recognise compliance with evidence standards in order to prevent misinformation and wrong decisions.

Extract: “As a consequence of the induction problem of empirical research, evidence can only ever be gradual, and this fact should be taken into account as basic knowledge in every scientific communication. From the perspective of scientific theory, the following applies even more fundamentally: “There is no evidence per se: only certain data against a certain background knowledge represents evidence for or against a certain system of statements”. Without contextualization of data and the process of obtaining them, they do not have a clear statement: data or so-called “facts” alone do not speak for themselves. For example, a new concept in economic sociology called “L’economie des conventions” (EC for short) has been gaining attention for some years now. EC is “an application-oriented approach that enables the empirical analysis of economic coordination and the constructions of values that take place within it”. The term convention, which is central to EC, refers to “empirical and normative value systems that target a collective good and contain a value system”. The above definition already hints at one of the strengths of this approach, namely the explicit thematization of mostly implicit values, which are often concealed behind ostensible (apparent) objectivity, such as in the construction of statistical indicators.” (p. 460-461)

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Learning from criticism. Criticism as an organizational learning occasion from a convention-analytical perspective

Julia Elven (2024)

In: Rundel, Stefan/Damm, Christoph/Dörner, Olaf/Engel, Nicolas/Schröder, Christian/Truschkat, Inga (eds.), Organisation und Kritik. Jahrbuch der Sektion Organisationspädagogik. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, pp. 61-75

Zusammenfassung. Der Beitrag erörtert das transformative Potenzial von Kritik in organisationalen Kontexten aus einer praxistheoretischen und konventionenanalytischen Perspektive. Dieses Potenzial – so die Argumentation – geht mit dem Anregen kollektiver, insbesondere organisationaler Lernprozesse einher, die sich an die Bearbeitung der durch Kritik evozierten Unterbrechung organisationaler Routinen knüpfen können. Der Beitrag folgt der Frage, wie das Lernen aus Kritik als ein Modus organisationalen Lernens konzeptionell umrissen werden kann und was mit einer solchen Perspektive in den Analysefokus rückt. Hierzu wird zunächst eine praxistheoretische und vor allem konventionenanalytische Verortung der zentralen Begriffe Organisation und Kritik vorgenommen und anschließend organisationales Lernen als Strategie der Kritikbewältigung expliziert. Schließlich werden Potenziale eines konventionenanalytischen Lernbegriffs für die organisationspädagogische Forschung aufgezeigt.

Summary. This article discusses the transformative potential of critique in organizational contexts from a practice-theoretical and convention-analytical perspective. This potential – so the argument goes – goes hand in hand with the stimulation of collective, especially organizational learning processes, which can be linked to the processing of the interruption of organizational routines evoked by criticism. The article follows the question of how learning from criticism can be conceptually outlined as a mode of organizational learning and what moves into the focus of analysis with such a perspective. To this end, a practice-theoretical and, above all, convention-analytical positioning of the central concepts of organization and critique is first undertaken and then organizational learning is explicated as a strategy for coping with critique. Finally, the potential of a convention-analytical concept of learning for organizational pedagogical research is demonstrated.

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André Orléan (2024)

Revue française de socio-économie, 33, pp. 23-40

Résumé. L’économie mainstream connaît depuis une vingtaine d’années une mutation de grande ampleur qui vise à installer l’expéri­mentation au cœur de ses préoccupations. Son mot d’ordre est « priorité aux faits ». C’est en son nom qu’est critiquée l’hypothèse de l’homo œconomicus jugée par trop irréaliste. Notre analyse est tout autre. À nos yeux, ce qui limite l’analyse économique est son incapacité à prendre en compte ces forces collectives qui naissent du regroupement des individus en corps social. En effet, dans la perspective individualiste qui est majoritairement la sienne, le collectif, soit n’est rien d’autre que l’agrégation des décisions individuelles, soit prend la forme d’une règle du jeu supposée déjà là. Il n’est jamais appréhendé en tant que tel, dans sa consistance propre, dans son mouvement, en tant que puissance s’imposant au groupe. En nous inspirant de divers auteurs, cet article cherche à montrer que la tâche n’était pas insurmontable. Qu’il s’agisse de l’unisson du groupe (Durkheim), de l’affect commun (Spinoza) ou de la polarisation mimétique (Girard), c’est un même mécanisme élémentaire qui est proposé pour comprendre ce qu’il en est de l’autorité des liens communautaires. C’est alors la question de la valeur économique qui a plus spécifiquement retenu notre attention car dans cette nouvelle perspective, elle s’analyse comme une force collective, le pouvoir d’acheter, trouvant son fondement dans la vénération collective que suscite la monnaie. Les économistes auraient beaucoup à gagner à inscrire leurs réflexions dans ce cadre conceptuel.

Abstract. Mainstream economics has undergone a profound transformation over the past two decades, aiming to place experimentation at the core of its approach. Its guiding principle is “facts first.” In its name, the hypothesis of homo economicus is criticised as overly unrealistic. Our perspective, however, is different. We believe that the true limitation of economic analysis lies in its failure to account for those collective forces that arise when individuals come together as a social body. From the prevailing individualistic standpoint, collectivity is either nothing more than the aggregation of individual decisions or appears as a pre-established rule of engagement. It is never grasped as a distinct entity, in its own coherence, movement, or as a force exerting authority over the group. Drawing inspiration from various researchers, this article seeks to demonstrate that this challenge is not insurmountable. Whether it be the unison of the group (Durkheim), shared affect (Spinoza), or mimetic polarisation (Girard), an identical fundamental mechanism is suggested to explain the authority of communal bonds. This led us to focus more specifically on the question of economic value, as from this new perspective, it may be understood as a collective force —a purchasing power grounded in the shared reverence that currency inspires. Economists would do well to consider integrating their reflections within this conceptual framework.

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Luc Boltanski & Arnaud Esquerre (2025)

London: Polity

About the book. This new book by Luc Boltanski and Arnaud Esquerre is a highly original analysis of the two key processes that shape the contemporary public sphere.  On the one hand, there are the processes of news provision which select out a range of facts and events and bring them to the attention of a large number of people who have not, for the most part, experienced them directly.  On the other hand, there are processes of politicization which problematize the facts made known by news provision and treat them as issues that concern citizens and the state.  Politicization is typically characterized by a diversity of interpretations which, in turn, gives rise to a proliferation of commentary, discussion, polemic and division.
In order to study these processes and their interaction, Boltanski and Esquerre draw on a vast repository of user comments left on the site of a major daily newspaper, as well as the thousands of comments posted on an online video site. They uncover what is sayable by comparing published comments with those deleted by moderators. They capture opinions in the course of their formation, rather than describing views which have long become cemented; these are often reflexive and wise, deriving from responses to interviews or opinion polls. They map out the parameters of politicization today, touching on various hot topics such as feminism, the environment, immigration, religion, nationalism and Europe.

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Responsibility and sustainability of local public action: responsible public purchasing as a tool for economic, social and ecological regulation of the territory

Olivier Gayot (2024)

Thèse en sciences économiques soutenue le 6 décembre 2024 à l’université de Lille
PhD in economics defended on December 6, 2024 at the University of Lille

Jury:
Bruno BOIDIN, Professeur des universités, Université de Lille, Direction de thèse
Petia KOLEVA, Professeur des universités, Université Paris cité
Gaël PLUMECOCQ, Chargé de recherche, INRAE
Catherine FIGUIERE, Professeur des universités, Université Grenoble Alpes – Centre de recherche en économie de Grenoble, Rapporteur
Arnaud BUCHS,  Professeur Université Grenoble Alpes, Rapporteur  
Nicolas POSTEL,  Professeur des universités,Université de Lille

Résumé. En 2021, la loi climat et résilience impose aux collectivités locales d’inclure des clauses écologiques et sociales dans l’intégralité de leurs marchés publics. Cette législation renforce la dynamique législative relative à une forme d’achat public particulière : les achats publics responsables. La responsabilité de ces achats serait issue de l’introduction de critères écologiques et sociaux dans les différents critères des marchés publics. Selon l’OCDE, l’achat public représente entre 15 % et 18 % du PIB. Introduire des critères écologiques et/ou sociaux dans les achats publics permettrait alors de les envisager comme un levier du développement durable au niveau local. Cependant, de nombreux rapports institutionnels indiquent que les achats publics responsables sont sous-employés, notamment au sein des collectivités locales. Cette thèse se propose alors d’analyser la capacité de régulation écologique et sociale des achats publics responsables. Plus précisément, nous interrogeons la capacité de régulation des acheteurs publics locaux au travers de l’analyse de leurs pratiques d’achats qu’ils qualifient de responsables. D’abord, en identifiant le cadre institutionnel, juridique et académique de ces achats. Nous mettons alors en évidence que les cadres institutionnel et juridique favorisent de façon importante la diminution des dépenses publiques et la mise en concurrence des prestataires potentiels. Nous identifions également un point aveugle en sciences économiques, les achats publics n’étant que peu étudiés et rarement identifiés comme une action publique. Ensuite, en développant un cadre théorique en sciences économiques institutionnalistes adapté à notre objet d’étude. Nous pourrons alors appréhender, dans une approche polanyienne des sciences économiques, les contraintes juridiques, administratives et institutionnelles qui pèsent sur les acheteurs publics. De plus, en nous appuyant sur l’économie des conventions, nous pourrons également comprendre comment, et pourquoi, ces acheteurs exercent leur pouvoir de régulation écologique et sociale sur les prestataires. Enfin, nous compléterons ce cadre à l’aide d’une analyse critique du niveau de soutenabilité de l’achat public responsable. Cette analyse, alimentée par les approches de l’écodéveloppement et de la socioéconomie écologique, nous permettra de dissocier les aspects « responsable » et le niveau de soutenabilité de ces achats. Elle nous permettra d’identifier que si, à priori, les achats publics ne peuvent être, au mieux, que faiblement soutenables, le niveau de soutenabilité de ces achats est intrinsèquement lié aux acheteurs publics et à leur volonté d’écrire des achats publics responsables fortement soutenables. Enfin, nous présenterons de multiples résultats tirés d’une enquête de terrain réalisée dans le cadre de cette thèse et menée au sein du territoire des Hauts-de-France. Nous verrons que les critères considérés comme responsables par les acteurs des achats publics responsables sont parfois différents de ceux proposés dans la littérature grise institutionnelle. Nous verrons également qu’il existe une distinction entre les acheteurs-économistes, spécialisés dans l’introduction de critères considérés comme responsables, et les acheteurs-juristes, garants de la solidité juridique des achats. De plus, nous mettrons en évidence les modifications organisationnelles induites par l’introduction de l’achat public responsable dans les pratiques des collectivités, et les effets de ces modifications sur la chaîne de production de l’achat public responsable. Enfin, nous analyserons différents cas pratiques tirés de notre enquête. Ces cas nous permettront de mettre en évidence que si les achats publics responsables peuvent être effectivement écologiquement ou socialement fortement soutenables, cela demande de réunir un ensemble de critères favorables à ce niveau de soutenabilité ce qui, dans le cadre actuel, est exceptionnel.

Extrait: “Il existe deux conventions de qualité de l’achat public responsable qui coexistent au sein des collectivités locales rencontrées :
– La convention de qualité de l’achat public socialement et écologiquement responsable, qui valorise les critères écologiques et sociaux dans les marchés publics.
– La convention de qualité de l’achat public économiquement et juridiquement responsable, qui valorise la « solidité juridique de l’achat » (son adéquation avec le code de la commande publique) et la diminution des dépenses publiques.
Ces conventions sont portées par deux types d’acheteurs : les acheteurs-juristes (acheteurs historiques des collectivités locales dont les missions consistent à vérifier l’adéquation entre les critères des achats et le code de la commande publique) et les acheteurs-économistes (dont les missions consistent à introduire de nouveaux critères écologiques et sociaux dans les marchés publics). Les acheteurs-juristes valorisent la convention de qualité de l’achat public économiquement et juridiquement responsable. Les acheteurs-économistes valorisent la convention de qualité de l’achat public socialement et écologiquement responsable.” (p.227)

Summary. In 2021, the Climate and Resilience Act requires local authorities to include ecological and social clauses in all their public procurement contracts. This legislation reinforces the legislative momentum behind a particular form of public procurement: responsible public purchasing. Responsible purchasing is said to stem from the inclusion of ecological and social criteria in the various aspects of public procurement. According to the OECD, public procurement accounts for between 15% and 18% of GDP. Introducing ecological and/or social criteria into public procurement would therefore enable it to be seen as a lever for sustainable development at local level. However, numerous institutional reports indicate that sustainable public purchasing is under-employed, particularly within local authorities. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the ecological and social regulatory capacity of sustainable procurement. More specifically, we examine the regulatory capacity of local public purchasers through an analysis of their purchasing practices, which they describe as responsible. Firstly, by identifying the institutional, legal and academic framework of these purchases.
We then show that the institutional and legal frameworks significantly encourage the reduction of public spending and the opening up of potential suppliers to competition. We also identify a blind spot in economic science, as public purchasing has been little studied and rarely identified as a public action. Secondly, by developing a theoretical framework in institutionalist economics adapted to our object of study. Using a Polanyian approach to economics, we will then be able to understand the legal, administrative and institutional constraints weighing on public purchasers. In addition, by drawing on the economics of convention, we will also be able to understand how, and why, these buyers exercise their power of ecological and social regulation over service providers. Finally, we will complete this framework with a critical analysis of the level of sustainability of responsible public purchasing. This analysis, informed by ecodevelopment and ecological socioeconomics approaches, will enable us to dissociate the “responsible” aspects and the level of sustainability of these purchases. It will enable us to identify that, while public purchasing can at best be only marginally sustainable, the level of sustainability of such purchasing is intrinsically linked to public purchasers and their desire to write highly sustainable responsible public purchasing.
Finally, we will present a number of results drawn from a field survey carried out as part of this thesis in the Hauts-de-France region. We will see that the criteria considered responsible by the players involved in sustainable public purchasing are sometimes different from those proposed in the institutional grey literature. We will also see that there is a distinction between buyer-economists, who specialize in introducing criteria considered responsible, and buyer-jurists, who guarantee the legal soundness of purchases. In addition, we will highlight the organizational changes brought about by the introduction of responsible public purchasing into the practices of local authorities, and the effects of these changes on the responsible public purchasing production chain. Finally, we will analyze a number of case studies drawn from our survey. These cases will enable us to highlight the fact that, while sustainable public purchasing can indeed be ecologically or socially highly sustainable, it requires a set of criteria conducive to this level of sustainability, which, in the current context, is exceptional.

Extract: “The local authorities we interviewed have two coexisting sustainable procurement quality agreements:
– The Socially and Environmentally Responsible Procurement quality agreement, which promotes ecological and social criteria in public procurement.
– The economically and legally responsible public procurement quality agreement, which promotes the “legal soundness of the purchase” (its compliance with the public procurement code) and the reduction of public expenditure.
These agreements are supported by two types of buyers: legal buyers (the traditional buyers of local authorities, whose role is to check that purchasing criteria comply with the public procurement code) and economic buyers (whose role is to introduce new ecological and social criteria into public procurement). Purchaser-jurists promote the quality convention of economically and legally responsible public purchasing. Buyer-economists promote the quality convention for socially and environmentally responsible public purchasing.” (p. 227)

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Implications of non-formal academic continuing education for the further education and training of professionally qualified specialists: An explorative study using the example of engineering sciences

Angela Fogelin (2024)

Working Paper. Bonn: Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Zusammenfassung. Angesichts tiefgreifender Transformationsprozesse in Gesellschaft und Arbeitswelt begegnen Hochschulen dem zunehmenden Bedarf an berufsbegleitender Fachkräftequalifizierung gegenwärtig verstärkt mit wissenschaftlichen Weiterbildungsformaten, die sich durch kurze Laufzeiten und einen überschaubaren Workload auszeichnen. Die bisweilen auch in Form von Microcredentials konzipierten Angebote schließen in der Regel mit einem Zertifikat oder einer Teilnahmebescheinigung ab und adressieren sowohl akademisch als auch beruflich vorqualifizierte Fachkräfte. Anders als außerakademische Anpassungsfortbildungen ermöglichen diese Weiterbildungsformate jedoch Schnittstellen und Übergänge ins Studiensystem und damit in formale Bildung. Die vorliegende Publikation stellt Ergebnisse einer explorativen Untersuchung vor, mit der näherer Aufschluss über ihnen zugrunde liegende hochschulische Selbstverständnisse und Prämissen in Bezug auf Fachkräftequalifizierung gewonnen werden sollte. Sie fokussierte, angesichts der großen Bedeutung der Disziplin für die Implementation von an Nachhaltigkeitskriterien ausgerichteten Verfahrensweisen in die Arbeitswelt und ihres anwendungsorientierten Selbstverständnisses, dabei exemplarisch auf die Ingenieurwissenschaften.

Summary. In view of far-reaching transformation processes in society and the world of work, universities are currently increasingly responding to the growing demand for part-time specialist qualifications with academic continuing education formats that are characterized by short durations and a manageable workload. The courses, which are sometimes designed in the form of microcredentials, usually conclude with a certificate or a certificate of attendance and are aimed at both academically and professionally pre-qualified specialists. Unlike non-academic adaptation training, however, these further education formats enable interfaces and transitions into the study system and thus into formal education. This publication presents the results of an exploratory study which aimed to gain more detailed information about the underlying self-conceptions and premises of higher education institutions with regard to the qualification of skilled workers. In view of the great importance of the discipline for the implementation of procedures geared towards sustainability criteria in the world of work and its application-oriented self-image, it focused on the engineering sciences as an example.

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Ya-Ching Huang & Alya Guseva (2024)

Journal of Cultural Economy, Online first, open access

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented scarcity of face masks and spurred massive home-based cloth mask-making across the U.S. In the context of severe shortages, mask-makers had to consider the idea of deservingness when deciding who should get their masks, and who should bear their cost. Based on the data from a private Facebook group dedicated to sewing and thirty-one in-depth interviews with mask-makers in Massachusetts, we argue that in response to pandemic-induced scarcity, mask-makers created a distinct moral economy with numerous distributional practices ranging from gift-giving and altruistic donations to sales. The choices among these alternatives depended on how mask-makers perceived their own vulnerabilities and deservingness vis-a-vis those of intended mask recipients. The same mask-makers sometimes engaged in multiple types of distributional practices or shifted between them over time, while justifying these choices in moral terms. Thus, the scarcity of masks resulted in a complex moral economy governed by multiple and sometimes contradictory logics of deservingness. Our study adds to a growing body of work that examines how considerations of deservingness factor into allocative decisions, while also providing a rare insight into how extremely scarce life-saving goods are allocated in the context of a global pandemic.

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