Sociology of social stratification and labour market economics have developed in isolation from one another. The present paper attempts to bring these two traditions closer together. The starting point is a critique of the very notion of social `stratification'. A return to Max Weber's idea of `class situation as market situation' and to his concept of `social closure' is advocated. On this basis, a conception of structured social inequality in advanced capitalist societies is developed which is open for conceptual innovations to be taken from labour market economics. A number of approaches to labour market analysis are discussed, and the special significance of several recent contributions related to the so-called `dual labour market theory' is emphasized. This leads up to the construction of a typological model supposed to supersede the traditional notion of social inequality as a system of hierarchically superposed strata. This model comprises eight levels of labour market structuration characterizing structured social inequality in advanced capitalist societies.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ATKINSON, A. B. (1975). The Economics of Inequality. Oxford: Clarendon Press .
2.
AVERITT, R. T. (1968). The Dual Economy. The Dynamics of American Industry Structure. New York: Norton .
3.
BECK, U. and BRATER, M. (eds.) (1977). Die soziale Konstitution der Berufe, 2 vols. Frankfurt-New York: Campus Verlag .
4.
BECK, U. and BRATER, M. (1978). Berufliche Arbeitsteilung und soziale Ungleichheit. Eine gesellschaftlich-historische Theorie der Berufe. Frankfurt-New York: Campus Verlag.
5.
BECKER, G. (1 964). Human Capital. A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis. New York: National Bureau of Economic Research .
6.
BENDIX, R. (1974). `Inequality and Social Structure: A Comparison of Marx and Weber' . A.S.R. 39; 149-161 .
7.
BLACKBURN, R. M. and MANN, M. (1979), The Working Class in the Labour Market. London: Macmillan .
8.
BOLLE, M. (ed.) (1976). Arbeitsmarkttheorie und Arbeitsmarktpolitik. Opladen: Leske Verlag.
9.
BOSANQUET, N. and DOERINGER, P. B. (1973). `Is there a Dual Labour Market in Great Britain?' , Ec. J.83; 421-435 .
10.
BUTTLER, F., GERLACH, K. and LIEPMANN, P. (1978). `Über den Zusammenhang von Arbeitsmarkt und Armut - Das Alte an der "Neuen Sozialen Frage"'. in H. P. Widmaier (ed.), Zur Veuen Sozialen Frage. Berlin: Duncker and Humblot.
11.
CAIN, G. G. (1975). `The Challenge of Dual and Radical Theories of the Labour Market to Orthodox Theory' , A.E.R. (Papers and Proceedings) 65; 16-22 .
12.
DOERINGER, P. B. and PIORE, M. J. (1971). Internal Labour Markets and Manpower Analysis. Lexington, Mass.: Heath .
13.
EDWARDS, R. C. , REICH, M. and GORDON, D. M. (eds.) (1975). Labour Market Segmentation. Lexington, Mass.: Heath .
14.
FREIBURGHAUS, D. and SCHMID, G. (1975). `Theorie der Segmentierung von Arbeitsmärkten. Darstellung und Kritik neuerer Ansätze mit besonderer Berücksichtigung arbeitsmarktpolitischer Konsequenzen', Leviathan 3: 417-48.
15.
GIDDENS, A. (1973). The Class Structure of the Advanced Societies. London: Hutchinson .
16.
GALTUNG, J. (1969). Violence, Peace and Peace Research' , J. Peace Res.6; 167-191 .
17.
GORDON, D. M. (1972). Theories of Poverty and Unemployment. Orthodox, Radical, and Dual Labour Market Perspectives. Lexington, Mass.: Heath .
18.
HALLER, M. (1978). Klassenbildung und soziale Schichtung als zentrale Mechanismen für die Reproduktion der sozialen Ungleichheit. Unpubl. manuscr., Vienna: Institut fur Hohere Studien.
19.
HEINEMANN, K. (1976). `Elemente einer Soziologie des Marktes', K.Z.S.S. 28: 48-69.
20.
HELLER, C. S. (ed.) (1969). Structured Social Inequality. New York-London: Collier Macmillan .
21.
HICKS, J. R. (1932). The Theory of Wages. London: Macmillan .
22.
HILMER, S. (1977). `Skizze einer Theorie der Allokation an strukturierten Arbeitsmärkten'. Unpubl. paper, Universität Dortmund: mimeo.
23.
HORNING, K. H. (ed.) (1976). Soziale Ungleichheit, Strukturen und Prozesse sozialer Schichtung. Darmstadt-Neuwied: Luchterhand.
24.
KERR, C. (1950). `Labour Markets: Their Character and Consequences' , A.E.R. (Papers and Proceedings)40; 278-291 .
25.
KERR, C. (1954). `The Balkanization of Labour Markets', in E. W. Bakke (ed.), Labour Mobility and Economic Opportunity. New York: John Wiley , 92-110.
26.
KING, J. E. (1 972). Labour Economics. London: Macmillan .
27.
KRECKEL, R. (1972). `Toward a Theoretical Re-Orientation of the Sociological Analysis of Vertical Mobility' , Soc. Sc. InfXI-s; 153-178 .
28.
KRECKEL, R. (1976). `Dimensions of Social Inequality. Conceptual Analysis and Theory of Society' , Sociologische Gids23; 338-362 .
29.
KRECKEL, R. (1977). `Vertical Mobility without Stratification? Some Critical Notes on the Geological Analogy in Sociology' , paper presented at the meeting of the Research Committee on Social Stratification of the ISA. Dublin: mimeo.
30.
KRECKEL, R., BROCK, D. and THODE, H. (1972). Vertikale Mobilität und Immobilitat in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Bonn-Bad Godesberg: Selbstverlag der Bundes-forschungsantalt fur Landeskunde und Raumordnung.
31.
LOVERIDGE, R. and MOK, A. L. (1979). Theories of Labour Market Segmentation. A Critique. The Hague-Boston-London: Nijhoff .
32.
MARSHALL, T. H. (1973). Class, Citizenship, and Social Development. Westport: Greenwood .
33.
MÜLLER, G., RÖDEL, U., SABEL, C., STILLE, F. and VOGT, S. (1978). Ökonomische Krisentendenzen im gegenwdrtigen Kapitalismus. Frankfurt-New York: Campus.
34.
MÜLLER, W. (1977). `Klassenlagen und soziale Lagen in der Bundesrepublik', in J. Handl, K. U. Mayer and W. Muller, Klassenlagen und Sozialstruktur. Frankfurt-New York: Campus, 21-IOO.
35.
OFFE, C. and HINRICHS, K. (1977). `Sozialökonomie des Arbeitmarktes und die Lage "benachteiligter" Gruppen von Arbeitnehmern', in C. Offe (ed.), Opfer des Arbeitsmarktes. Zur Theorie der strukturierten Arbeitslosigkeit. Neuwied-Darmstadt: Luchterhand, 3-61.
36.
PARKIN, F. (1971). Class Inequality and Political Order. Social Stratification in Capitalist and Communist Societies. London: McGibbon and Kee .
37.
PARKIN, F. (1974). `Strategies of Social Closure in Class Formation', in F. Parkin (ed.), The Social Analysis of Class Structure. London: Tavistock , 1-18.
38.
PIORE, M. I. (1972). `Notes for a Theory of Labour Market Stratification', Working Paper No. 95, Department of Economics, M.I.T.
39.
PORTER, J. A. (1965). The Vertical Mosaic. An Analysis of Social Class and Power in Canada. Toronto: Toronto U.P .
40.
REICH, M. , GORDON, D. M. and EDWARDS, R. C. (1973). `A Theory of Labour Market Segmentation' , A.E.R. (Papers and Proceedings) 63; 359-365 .
41.
SCHATTSCHNEIDER, E. E. (1960). The Semi-Sovereign People: A Realist's View of Democracy in America. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston .
42.
SENGENBERGER, W. (1975). Arbeitsmarktstruktur. Ansätze zu einem Modell des segmentierten Arbeitsmarkts. Frankfurt: Aspekte.
43.
SENGENBERGER, W. (ed.) (1978a). Der gespaltene Arbeitsmarkt. Probleme der Arbeitsmarktsegmentation. Frankfurt-New York: Campus.
44.
SENGENBERGER, W. (1978b). Die gegenwartige Arbeitslosigkeit-auch ein Strukturproblem des Arbeitsmarkts. Frankfurt-New York: Campus.
45.
SORENSEN, A. and TUMA, N. (1978). `Labour Market Structures and Job Mobility' , paper presented at the IXth World Congress of Sociology, Uppsala.
46.
SPENCE, M. (1973). `Job Market Signalling' , Q.J.E.87; 355-374 .
47.
SPENCE, M. (1974). `Competitive and Optimal Responses to Signals: Analysis of Efficiency and Distribution' , JE. T.7; 296-332 .
48.
STOLZENBERG, R. (1975). `Occupations, Labour Markets and the Process of Wage Attainment' , A.S.R.40; 645-665 .
49.
VIETORISZ, T. and HARRISON, B. (1975). `Labour Market Segmentation: Positive Feedback and Divergent Development' , A.E.R. (Papers and Proceedings)63; 366-376 .
50.
WEBER, M. (1964). Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, 4th ed. Tübingen: Mohr.
51.
WELCH, F. (`975). `Human Capital Theory: Education, Discrimination, and Life Cycles' , A.E.R. (Papers and Proceedings)6S; 63-73 .
52.
WRONG, D. H. (1976). `Social Inequality Without Stratification', in D. H. Wrong, Skeptical Sociology. New York: Columbia U.P. , 121-134.
