Tom R. Burns – författare

Originally published in 1994. The energy crisis of the 1970s provided an opportune climate for public sector entrepreneurship to develop. The authors present case studies from six innovative and diverse municipalities in Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden and the United States. The studies document problems these communities encountered while implementing new ideas in energy conservation and changes in energy supply and municipal planning. Each community was selected on the basis of its early, vigorous response to the energy crisis, and then followed up to examine roadblocks along the way to innovation in the public sector. The case studies highlight the challenges policy entrepreneurs face and the tactics they employ, revealing crucial differences between public and private sector entrepreneurship.

Originally published in 1994. The energy crisis of the 1970s provided an opportune climate for public sector entrepreneurship to develop. The authors present case studies from six innovative and diverse municipalities in Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden and the United States. The studies document problems these communities encountered while implementing new ideas in energy conservation and changes in energy supply and municipal planning. Each community was selected on the basis of its early, vigorous response to the energy crisis, and then followed up to examine roadblocks along the way to innovation in the public sector. The case studies highlight the challenges policy entrepreneurs face and the tactics they employ, revealing crucial differences between public and private sector entrepreneurship.

The book advances a distinctive approach to the study of actor-structure dynamics, placing itself in a rich scholarly tradition developed by major thinkers such as Weber, Lindblom, Giddens and Goffman. It presents social rule system theory as a framework with which to investigate social institutions, and clarifies the principles behind their formation, maintenance and transformation. Drawing on a wide range of case studies, the authors also demonstrate the relevance of the theory for research programs. As a result, they are able to provide innovative perspectives on the structure and performance of markets, information, technocracy and the sources of social and structural incoherence in modern societies.

The Shaping of Social Organization was among the finalists for the amalfi European Prize in Sociology and Social Science.

The book advances a distinctive approach to the study of actor-structure dynamics, placing itself in a rich scholarly tradition developed by major thinkers such as Weber, Lindblom, Giddens and Goffman. It presents social rule system theory as a framework with which to investigate social institutions, and clarifies the principles behind their formation, maintenance and transformation. Drawing on a wide range of case studies, the authors also demonstrate the relevance of the theory for research programs. As a result, they are able to provide innovative perspectives on the structure and performance of markets, information, technocracy and the sources of social and structural incoherence in modern societies.

The Shaping of Social Organization was among the finalists for the amalfi European Prize in Sociology and Social Science.

In Man, Decisions, Society (1985) the authors offer an innovative approach to social science research: a new methodology, actor-system dynamics, makes possible a more effective analysis of modern societal developments and problems. Using flow charts, this methodology brings out the critical aspects of social phenomena, making complex processes visible and comprehensible.

In Man, Decisions, Society (1985) the authors offer an innovative approach to social science research: a new methodology, actor-system dynamics, makes possible a more effective analysis of modern societal developments and problems. Using flow charts, this methodology brings out the critical aspects of social phenomena, making complex processes visible and comprehensible.