The company of strangers : a natural history of economic life
by
 
Seabright, Paul.

Title
: 
The company of strangers : a natural history of economic life

Author
: 
Seabright, Paul.

ISBN
: 
9780691118215
 
9780691124520

Personal Author
: 
Seabright, Paul.

Publication Information
: 
Princeton, N.J. ; Oxford : Princeton University Press, c2004.

Physical Description
: 
x, 304 p. : ill., maps ; 25 cm.

Contents
: 
Pt. I. Tunnel Vision -- Ch. 1. Who's In Charge? -- Pt. II. From Murderous Apes to Honorary Friends: How Is Human Cooperation Possible? -- Ch. 2. Man and the Risks of Nature -- Ch. 3. Murder, Reciprocity, and Trust -- Ch. 4. Money and Human Relationships -- Ch. 5. Honor among Thieves: Hoarding and Stealing -- Ch. 6. Professionalism and Fulfilment in Work and War -- Pt. III. Unintended Consequences: From Family Bands to Industrial Cities -- Ch. 7. The City, from Ancient Athens to Modern Manhattan -- Ch. 8. Water: Commodity or Social Institution? -- Ch. 9. Prices for Everything? -- Ch. 10. Families and Firms -- Ch. 11. Knowledge and Symbolism -- Ch. 12. Exclusion: Unemployment, Poverty, and Illness -- Pt. IV. Collective Action: From Belligerent States to a Marketplace of Nations -- Ch. 13. States and Empires -- Ch. 14. Globalization and Political Action -- Conclusion: How Fragile Is the Great Experiment?

Abstract
: 
"In The Company of Strangers, Paul Seabright provides an original evolutionary and sociological account of the emergence of those economic institutions that manage not only markets but also the world's myriad other affairs." "Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, history, psychology, and literature, Seabright explores how our evolved ability of abstract reasoning has allowed institutions like money, markets, and cities to provide the foundation of social trust. But how long can the networks of modern life survive when we are exposed as never before to risks originating in distant parts of the globe? This lively narrative shows us the remarkable strangeness, and fragility, of our everyday lives."--BOOK JACKET.

Subject Term
: 
Social capital (Sociology)
 
Economics -- Sociological aspects.
 
Sociobiology.
 
Strangers.
 
Trust.

Electronic Access
: 
Publisher description http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/prin051/2003055550.html
 
Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/prin051/2003055550.html


LibraryMaterial TypeItem BarcodeShelf NumberCopy
IIEMSAGeneral Books33168025408168306.3 S438C 20041