John W. Meyer

John W. Meyer ( born 1935 ) is an American sociologist and professor emeritus of the Department of Sociology at Stanford University.

He earned a B. A. in psychology in 1955 at Goshen College in Indiana, a MA in sociology in 1957 from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. in sociology in 1965 at Columbia University.

Meyer is the core developers of the theory of sociological neo-institutionalism. This theory has its origins in the sociology of organizations, but also takes an important role in the political science globalization discourses in their development a. It is based on the sociological classics, especially on Max Weber's thesis of the occidental rationalization, ie a social order in which generates an efficient bureaucracy for state power legitimacy. However, Meyer assesses the social function of the form of the organization to generate legitimacy, more important than their actual function of the increase of efficiency.

From neoinstitutionalist theory, he led his concept of the world polity, often referred to in Germany as "world culture", from. This was based on empirical studies for worldwide circulation of institutions in the educational system, the Meyer now able to prove to other social function areas. He concluded that worldwide there are shared values ​​Western-style. Again, the organization plays a key role because it can generate legitimacy, bearing in mind that conceives Meyer also states as organizations. Meyer sees the world society as realized, as his world society concept merely provides an institutionalized system of rules and values. The transfer of Western values ​​- Meyer referred to this process as isomorphism - this results in system development. (see also → diffusionism )

Meyer is often criticized for its World Heritage thesis. You stand too much in the tradition of many empirically untenable modernization theories of the 1950s and 1960s. Furthermore overvalued they will significantly determined by difference, the homogeneity of a society, as in world society no longer a unit-aware society concept is sound, but society.

Meyer was Niklas Luhmann 2006 Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Sociology at Bielefeld University, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in the same year.

Publications

  • World culture. As the Western principles permeate the world. Suhrkamp Verlag KG, 2005, ISBN 3-518-41651-0.
  • Institutional environments and Organizations: structural complexity and individualism. Thousand Oaks, Calif.:. Sage Publications, 1994, ISBN 0-8039-5667-3.
  • Organizational environments: ritual and rationality. Newbury Park, Calif.:. Sage Publications, 1992, ISBN 0-8039-4469-1.
New institutionalism Trans-cultural diffusion Dirk Kaesler Name Authority File
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