A Weberian Analysis of Business Groups and Financial Markets

Weber examined the rules of the moral economy in the financial markets, and this volume sheds light on his contribution to the subject. The book formulates two models of business relations which are derived from Weber and Simmel's writings and which represent alternative examples of the moral economy.

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Moral economy, as a set of rules which regulate market transactions, has been the object of much research and debate since the 1980s; it has also been the focus of classical sociological authors such as Weber, Simmel and Toennies. Weber in particular examined the rules of the moral economy in the financial markets, and this volume sheds light on his contribution to the subject. The book formulates two models of business relations - one oligopolistic model, the other based on free competition - which are derived from Weber and Simmel's writings and which represent alternative instances of the moral economy. Empirical case studies in the form of South Korea and Taiwan are included to exemplify the two models and to highlight the consequences of adopting one model over the other. The volume also examines the conduct of actors in some of the leading financial markets, with reference to Weber's writings on the 19th century London and Berlin Stock Exchanges.