State, Society and Economic Regulation

The course aims to provide students with basic knowledge and fundamental conceptual tools to analyse economic phenomena from a sociological perspective. More specifically, it seeks to offer elements for the theoretical understanding of the social dimension of economic life, as well as tools for the knowledge and analysis of empirical domains in which social and economic relations—and their transformations—are particularly relevant today.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand the development of economic sociology, distinguishing between classical and contemporary approaches;
- Analyse economic behaviour as socially and institutionally embedded processes;
- Recognize the role of institutions, social networks, and interpersonal relationships in the functioning of markets and the construction of economic dynamics;
- Critically examine core concepts such as economic rationality, money, the labour market, and finance as socially constructed institutions;
- Apply the theories and tools of economic sociology to the analysis of concrete cases involving employment, careers, market regulation, and contemporary economic transformations.