SO425     
Regulation, Risk and Economic Life

This information is for the 2019/20 session.

Teacher responsible

Prof Nigel Dodd STC S106

Availability

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Economy, Risk and Society . This course is available on the MPA in International Development, MPA in Public Policy and Management, MPA in Public and Economic Policy, MPA in Public and Social Policy, MPA in Social Impact, MPhil/PhD in Accounting, MSc in Environmental Policy and Regulation, MSc in Regulation and MSc in Risk and Finance. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Course content

This course introduces students to sociological perspectives on economic life and risk regulation in advanced industrial societies. Topics include economic sociology, state risk regulation including regulatory variations, enforcement and business responses, economic and civil society sources of regulation, organizational risk management, science, experts and risk regulation, globalization, and trends in risk regulation. The course will draw upon a broad international literature on social and economic regulation and case studies from the environmental, financial and public health domains.

Teaching

25 hours of seminars in the MT. 25 hours of seminars in the LT. 2 hours and 30 minutes of seminars in the ST.

Reading Weeks: Students on this course will have a reading week in MT Week 6 and LT Week 6, in line with departmental policy.

Indicative reading

Aspers, P & Dodd, N (eds) (2015) Re-Imagining Economic Sociology (Oxford University Press); Beck, U. (1999) World Risk Society. Cambridge: Polity; Beckert, J (2002) Beyond the Market: the Social Foundations of Economic Efficiency Princeton University Press; Bernstein, P L (1996) Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk (Princeton University Press); Dodd, N (2014) The Social Life of Money (Princeton University Press); Hutter, B.M.. (ed) (2010) Anticipating Risks and Organizing Risk Regulation, Cambridge University Press; Smesler, N. & Swedberg, R. (eds) (2005) The Handbook of Economic Sociology; Swedberg, R. (2003) Principles of Economic Sociology Princeton University Press. 

Assessment

Exam (70%, duration: 3 hours) in the summer exam period.
Essay (30%, 3000 words) in the ST.

An electronic copy of the assessed essay, to be uploaded to Moodle, no later than 4.00pm on the first Wednesday of Summer Term. 

Attendance at all seminars and submission of all set coursework is required.

Student performance results

(2015/16 - 2017/18 combined)

Classification % of students
Distinction 8.8
Merit 62.5
Pass 27.5
Fail 1.2

Key facts

Department: Sociology

Total students 2018/19: 24

Average class size 2018/19: 24

Controlled access 2018/19: No

Value: One Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Leadership
  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Problem solving
  • Communication
  • Commercial awareness
  • Specialist skills