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Today’s global enterprises increasingly involve collaborative work by teams of experts operating across different professions, organizations, and industries. Extreme Teaming provides new insights into the world of complex, cross industry projects and the ways they must be managed. Leading experts Amy Edmondson and Jean-François Harvey analyze contemporary cases that expose the complex demands of cross-boundary collaboration on management, and inform our understanding of teams. Containing powerful insights and practical guidelines that allow managers to bridge professional divides and organizational boundaries in order to work together effectively, this is a new exploration of the challenges involved in today’s global enterprises. The authors demonstrate that the work done in the modern organization is less and less about looking inward and creating strong teams inside the company, and more about teaming across boundaries – that often are in flux. Extreme Teaming is a must-read book for all courses related to leading open innovation; teamwork and collaboration; project management; and cross-boundary work.

Just 25 years ago, Europe was engaged in a process of democratization and integration. The EU, with an expanded number of member-states, became a symbol of a democratic, peaceful and prosperous Union. However, recent years have seen the reversal of democratization in many of the countries that went through political transition in the 1990s. Even in established democracies, growing authoritarian tendencies have been apparent in the rise of populism and political polarisation and questions over the rule of law.Focusing on threats to Swedish liberal democracy in a time of autocratization to explore wider crises democracy is currently facing around the globe, Problems in Paradise? explores eight interactive sub-societies crucial for a dynamic and persistent liberal democracy: the political, the judicial, the bureaucratic, the economic, the educational, the media, the civil, and the international.Fully embracing the wide range of challenges liberal democracy has faced in recent years, this book offers a deepened understanding of contemporary changes and challenges to liberal democracy.

This fifth edition of Looking for Information is redesigned to reflect the breadth of research across information behaviour studies, with a new streamlined, six-chapter structure, presenting a refreshed look at people’s information needs and seeking practices, while also embracing contemporary concepts such as information use, creation, and embodiment.This edition retains its core purpose by highlighting essential aspects of research on people’s information behaviours, including detailed examples from more than 1200 research publications. The authors present historic works (including those focused on people’s occupations) alongside contemporary research addressing the situations and contexts that shape people’s experiences. Studies using innovative methodological or theoretical approaches, and those reflecting ongoing shifts towards interdisciplinarity are also featured.The authors carefully balance quick access to summaries and highlights, alongside long-form narratives, while retaining the content and focus that readers of Looking for Information have come to expect. Each chapter serves as a stand-alone piece of writing, with its own reference list and Must-Read recommendations, facilitating e-reading and inclusion on course syllabi. All these features will enhance readers’ experiences of this new edition.

This book is a comprehensive overview of the theoretical discussion of one of most important conceptions in sociology at the end of 20th century - the theory of social systems.  The spotlight of this book falls on the work of Niklas Luhmann and his holistic approach. Current modern society is, for Luhmann, a functionally differentiated society, which means that a number of specialized societal sub-systems (politics, economics, religion, law, science, art etc) have formed. Each system is based on its own type of communication led by its own generalized communicative media. Luhmann controversially depicts modern society as a plurality of many societal subsystems operating without a top and without a coordinating and managing centre. This book weighs the strong and weak features of the systemic approach in sociology and discusses ways to rethink it.

Railways are frequently promoted as one of the most sustainable modes of transport. However, their impact will in practice be significantly affected by the ways in which they are designed, constructed, and used. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the issues involved in planning, engineering and operating sustainable railway systems. It introduces and examines a wide range of aspects of railway systems and their interrelationships with other human and natural systems. For each of these aspects it considers the key factors that affect the sustainability of the railway.Students, academic researchers and those in rail industry or related fields who are interested in railways or in transport sustainability more generally will find this to be an invaluable guide. It will be particularly helpful to those who are either relatively new to the railway context, or who have a detailed knowledge of one aspect of railways but are seeking to acquire a more holistic understanding of railway systems.

This collection is a unique exploration of the heritage and legacy of the Canterbury Sound: a signature style emerging in the 1960s that draws upon psychedelic music, progressive rock, jazz and pop to capture the real and imagined interactions between people, place and music.The volume recounts the stories, and explores the significance, of the Canterbury Sound as heritage, ongoing legacy and scene. Originating from the experiences and ethnographic research of the three editors, all of whom have lived and worked in Canterbury, the book brings together reflections, stories, and critical insights from well-known musicians, researchers, DIY archivists and fans to explore the Canterbury Sound as an inter-generational phenomenon and a source of cultural identity. Associated with acts like Caravan, Soft Machine, Gong, Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers, this romanticised scene has a special place in popular music culture.Chapters examine the emergence of the Canterbury Sound and the associated scene, including the legacies of key figures in forming the Canterbury Sound aesthetic, the documentation of the scene (online and off) and contemporary scenes within the city, which continues to attract and inspire young people.

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access and freely available to read online.There is a gap in research on families in the Global South and those that address the issue with a gendered and critical perspective. Considering the Global South and its articulations of power and resistance, this handbook presents chapters on the family in the Global South, acknowledging gender differences and their impact on individuals and societies in those nations and cultures.Exploring the complex intersection among three significant social dynamics – families, the forces of societal transformation, and gender-related matters within the framework of the Global South and acknowledging the ongoing debate surrounding the Global South concept – the chapters illuminate and critically examine some of the debated matters pertaining to shifts in family dynamics from a gendered perspective. Demonstrating that examining changes in living arrangements and family dynamics through a gendered lens is indispensable not only to understand the ongoing socio-cultural processes in the Global South but also to develop social policies and service delivery practices, authors present case studies from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. To what extent do structural and cultural contexts influence gendered family dynamics and living arrangements in various societies of the Global South? In diverse societies of the Global South, how do individuals from intersectional backgrounds navigate the challenges posed by economic and social instabilities? What role does the family play in regulating these transformations?Compelling reading for students, researchers and policymakers from various disciplines, chapters address a rich diversity of the issues relating to the family, social change and gender relations with a critical focus on the countries/cultures/communities that have been significantly underrepresented in the literature.

Teacher Dialogical Self: Professional development dynamics offers a profound and intimate exploration of teacher identity, delving into the intricate interplay between personal and professional dimensions. By providing a deep, reflective perspective on how internal experiences—such as emotions, self-awareness, and inner dialogues—shape and are shaped by the teaching role, it seeks to enhance overall effectiveness and well-being within the educational environment. This book equips educators with a nuanced understanding of their own identities, enabling them to navigate their roles with greater authenticity and resilience. Through this introspective journey, the book aspires to foster a more supportive, engaged, and balanced teaching practice that benefits both educators and their students.

Motivated by recent events and experiences in antitrust enforcement and policy in the United States and the European Union, and new insights and findings from academic research, this book presents a collection of theoretical, empirical and public policy-oriented articles representing recent research on the political-economy of antitrust. Political-economy is defined broadly to include the demand-side drivers of antitrust activity such as market failures and interest-groups, along with supply-side drivers including ideology and partisan politics as well as the importance of informational limitations in antitrust enforcement and the institutional structure of the antitrust agencies. Examining issues related to the political-economy of antitrust is important as antitrust policy and enforcement provide a key mechanism for preserving the competitiveness of markets, with implications for innovation, efficiency, growth and welfare. This book brings together contributions by leading academic researchers in the areas of political-economy, cartels, merger and non-merger enforcement, as well as economists working with antitrust authorities in the U.S. and E.U., to make a timely contribution for researchers and practitioners. The chapters in this volume cover the full range of topics: enforcement of cartels; merger control; monopolization and abuse of dominance; and systemic issues in antitrust enforcement and policy. Since the last few years have seen significant changes in both the U.S. and E.U. in the attitudes towards cartels, the book places emphasis on antitrust enforcement of cartels, including topics such as the corporate leniency programs that have recently been introduced in the U.S. and E.U., optimal deterrence mechanisms against cartels and detection of cartels. While the individual chapters of the book make independent contributions and may be read separately, the book brings together articles from various sub-areas to present a more encompassing picture. The first chapter provides an overview of some of the trends and recent research in antitrust enforcement and policy and highlights the contributions made by the chapters in this volume.

Professor Dey's persuasive, instructive, critical, engaging, and often humorous investigation places many elements of grounded theory under close scrutiny. In searching out the methodological principles on which grounded theory is built, he reveals its main features as a qualitative research methodology for social research and the issues fundamental to understanding it. He also highlights the disagreements between the originators of grounded theory, their reasons, and their effects. His enlightened perspective thereby makes sense of the ways in which grounded theory approaches some of the key issues in qualitative analysis, such as coding and categorization, analysis of process, and generation of theory. It critically considers what grounded theory has to offer qualitative inquiry; and explores the principles and methodologies raised during the course of grounded theory's evolution.

This book will bring a state of the art overview of the research done in sustainable logistics. It will be structured along the four A's of sustainable logistics:- 1 Awareness: it is important that companies and policy makers are aware of the effects of their activities and policies. New methods to estimate the effects of the logistic activities and the change towards more sustainable ways will be covered. 2 Avoidance: transport can be avoided by a better collaboration between actors (vertically and horizontally. Papers covering this topic will be introduced here. 3 Acting and shifting the goods to more environmental friendly modes or to the non peak hours. 4 Anticipation of new technologies: the use of more environmental friendly vehicles (electric,.LNG,..) within the logistic chain.

FIDIC 2017 Contracts Companion - Revised (3 volume set) is a guide for anyone involved in preparing, administering, or contributing to the FIDIC suite of contracts, 2017 edition. Intended as a companion for both the first-time and also more experienced user, the books provide an accessible guide to the 21 clauses of the 2017 FIDIC Conditions of Contract, and include separate guides to the Conditions of Contract for Construction (Red Book); Conditions of Contract for Plant and Design-Build (Yellow Book) and the Conditions of Contract for EPC/Turnkey Projects (Silver Book). Drawing on the author’s 30 years’ experience with the FIDIC Conditions of Contract, FIDIC 2017 Contracts Companion - Revised (3 volume set) will be an invaluable companion for all users of the FIDIC conditions of contract.

Distance education is arguably one of the major developments in education during the 20th Century. From schooling through to university education, distance education blossomed to facilitate frontier expansion in the New World, capacity-building in developing nations, access and equity provision in post-War societies and flexible professional development and workplace training for late-modernity. "The International Handbook of Distance Education" explores the array of distance education theories and practices as they have been shaped by the late-20th Century and then positions these in terms of the contemporary circumstances of the 21st Century. The "Handbook' is intended to be a comprehensive reference work for practitioners, researchers and administrators engaged in forms of distance education in private and public education, from schooling through undergraduate and postgraduate coursework to doctoral research programs. A critical thread runs throughout the "Handbook" to provide the reader with stimulation to critique policy and practice with a view to being creative and responsive in their own policy development and educational work. It discusses lifelong and flexible learning environments.

Moving the Needle: What We Know (and Don’t) About Developing Leaders examines 34 popular and cutting-edge instructional strategies that educators and trainers have employed to help others develop the capacity to lead. Some strategies have been popular for decades—such as student group projects—while others are just now emerging—such as using generative artificial intelligence. The book is designed to be imminently practical. Each chapter describes a different strategy for development, and includes illustrations of the strategy “in action,” examines the state of empirical evidence suggesting what scholars know about the strategy’s effectiveness, and provides resources for where readers can learn more. For strategies with a shallower pool of evidence, the chapter provides suggestions for a future research agenda targeted at scholars interested in researching the methods and outcomes related to each strategy.

FIDIC Silver Book is a practical guide for anyone involved in preparing, administering, or contributing to the FIDIC suite of contracts, 2017 edition. This revised edition responds to a number of recent developments including the 2022 amendments, further examples drawn from experience with the 2017 contracts, impacts of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, as well as guidance on use of FIDIC Contracts for projects using Building Information Modelling. Designed as a companion for both the first-time and also more experienced user the book presents an accessible guide to the 21 clauses of the 2017 FIDIC Conditions of Contract, using the Conditions of Contract for EPC/Turnkey Projects (Silver Book) as a basis. Opening chapters provide an introduction to the entire FIDIC suite of contracts. Part 2 provides a clause-by-clause introduction to each of the Clauses and Sub-Clauses in the Silver Book, and explain how they are interlinked. A final section includes a concise practical guide to the use of the FIDIC Conditions, and a summary of special provisions discussed in Part 2. Drawing on the author’s 35 years’ experience with the FIDIC Conditions of Contract, this accessible guide to FIDIC Silver Book provides an ideal introduction for first time users of the FIDIC conditions of contract and will also serve as a very useful handbook and practical commentary for more experienced users.

Understanding how leaders make foreign policy and national security decisions is of paramount importance for the policy community and academia. This book explores how leaders such as Trump, Obama, Netanyahu and others make decisions using the Applied Decision Analysis (ADA) method. The chapters gathered here analyse the decisions made by key political figures around the world, past and present, in order to shed light on how these decisions are made and what policy implications they have for their own and other nations. Several chapters also focus on military decision making, including around pivotal times in history including the second world war and the evolution of nuclear warfare.

This book is an investigation of the Swedish microchipping phenomenon and seeks to explain why, despite its many negative connotations in an international context, microchipping is relatively popular in Sweden. The author maps out the movement, examines its key drivers, and delves further to discover why Swedes generally have a high trust in technology, and show little resistance to testing it. The Swedish case is studied from the three main themes of surveillance, science fiction and transhumanism, and is built around interviews with Swedes who have embraced the technology. The arguments for and against microchipping are contextualised culturally and explained against a background of the long established Swedish relationship with advanced technology, and with their unique level of trust in the government. The book will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students in digital culture related disciplines.

FIDIC Yellow Book is a practical guide for anyone involved in preparing, administering, or contributing to the FIDIC suite of contracts, 2017 edition. This revised edition covers a number of recent developments including the 2022 amendments, further examples drawn from experience with the 2017 contracts, impacts of COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine, as well as guidance on use of FIDIC Contracts where a project uses Building Information Modelling.Designed as a companion for both the first-time and also more experienced user the book presents an accessible guide to the 21 clauses of the 2017 FIDIC Conditions of Contract, using the Conditions of Contract for Plant and Design-Build (Yellow Book) as a basis. Opening chapters provide an introduction to the entire FIDIC suite of contracts. Part 2 provides a clause-by-clause introduction to each of the Clauses and Sub-Clauses in the Yellow Book, and explain how they are interlinked. A final section includes a concise practical guide to the use of the FIDIC Conditions, and a summary of special provisions discussed in Part 2.Drawing on the author’s 35 years’ experience with the FIDIC Conditions of Contract, this accessible guide to the FIDIC Yellow Book provides an ideal introduction for first time users of the FIDIC conditions of contract and will also serve as a very useful handbook and practical commentary for more experienced users.

The problem of the Terror lies at the heart of any reflection upon the French Revolution and its implications for modern political culture. Contemporaries sought to grasp its meaning immediately after the fact as they struggled to explain an experience which seemed to defy the Revolution's fundamental assumption: that rational human intentions could erase the arbitrariness of history and institute a transparent social order. Since then, historians and philosophers have not ceased to ponder what Benjamin Constant called "that inexplicable delirium known as the reign of the Terror. "For some, the Terror deviated from the rights of man only to preserve them: it was a system of revolutionary government dictated by circumstances that threatened the very existence of the infant French Republic. For others, it revealed a dynamic inherent in the Revolution from the start: a dynamic unleashed by the very effort to refashion society in the light of human reason. For still others, it was a symptom of the fact that the promised transformation of society was still incomplete - and a model for any future revolution that would complete it. This volume has been designed to bring together contributions by representatives of a wide range of historiographical approaches to the French Revolution. It seeks, in the wake of the heated historical debates of recent years, to reopen old questions and to formulate new ones, to suggest how the problem of understanding the Terror is being approached, or might be approached, two hundred years after the event. In a century more than ever aware of the fragility of the boundaries between citizenship and victimization, the topic retains its challenge for historical comprehension - and its profound relevance to the enduring question of the nature and conditions of democracy. Now volume 4 is published. Drawing clear inspiration from the earlier highly acclaimed volumes, Professor Baker has now edited a supplementary volume. It has as its aim to advance, by focusing more precisely on the period of the Terror, the explanation of the nature and implications of the political culture of the French Revolution the early volumes initiated.

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access and freely available to read online.The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set an ambitious agenda for global problem-solving and create a framework to achieve it through the power of partnerships. Goal 17 points to the central importance of partnerships, networks, and multi-stakeholder collaborations for bringing together a broad range of actors to accomplish the first 16 goals. Only through such partnerships can the distributed knowledge, resources and capacity of government agencies, private enterprises, political activists, local communities, and international NGOs be effectively combined to produce the major breakthroughs in sustainability that the SDGs envision.Co-Creation for Sustainability sets out a strategy of partnership, with an emphasis on how global goals can be translated into local action. Co-creation brings multiple parties together—including citizens—to collaboratively engage in innovative problem-solving. The book explains this strategy and describes how to foster the conditions necessary for its success. It details how leaders can spur co-creation and manage and overcome its practical challenges.Written to inspire public and private changemakers to find fundamental solutions to the pressing challenges that confront our social and natural environment, Co-creation for Sustainability: The UN SDGs and the Power of Partnerships provides intellectual resources and practical advice relevant for those who aspire to harness the talents, energy and perspectives of different sectors to build the momentum we need to realize a sustainable future.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the range of themes which make up the field of Historical Sociology. Jiří Šubrt systematically discusses the main problems of societal development, long term process and changes in the key areas of social life. These include not only temporalized sociology, evolutionary theory, civilizational analysis, societal systems, structures and functions, but also modernization and revolution, risk, crisis, catastrophe and collapse, wars, conflicts and violence, nations, nationalism and collective memory. This study does not ignore the fundamental dichotomy underlying the discipline, which is between individualism and holism. At the heart of this book lies the human individual as related to social and historical development. The key question is who or what is responsible for the process of human history: society or the individual? The author concludes by offering an approach which may help in resolving this dilemma.

Increasing technological sophistication in many countries and the resulting larger world trade has indicated a need to pay greater attention to the international aspects of user interfaces. Many American companies are approaching a situation where half of their sales are outside the United States, and companies in smaller countries often have a much larger proportion of their sales outside their own country. This means that software sales will increasingly depend on their international usability and not just their domestic usability. Seen from a user's perspective more than half of the world's software users will be using interfaces which were originally designed in a foreign country. Usability for this large market of users will depend upon increased awareness of the issues involved in designing user interfaces for international use. As the European community aims to establish the so-called Single Market by the end of 1992, international software will become even more important in that part of the world. And as if it wasn't hard enough to design user interfaces for use in Europe, there are a further set of problems connected with user interfaces for Asia. Both of these issues are examined in depth. This is the first publication of its kind to appear on the topic of international user interfaces, and presents both general guidelines and a number of detailed case studies on the many aspects entailed. The book will be of considerable interest to project managers, lecturers, students, developers of basic software and user interface designers.

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access and freely available to read online.Complex coordination across time, space, and cultures involves a great deal of uncertainty. This uncertainty may be accepted and handled with judgment and pragmatism, but more often in contemporary modern society, it is treated as a technical problem to be ‘solved’. This is a book about the paradoxical implications of the quest for certainty in interorganizational relations in the complex field of development aid.Authors Alexius and Vähämäki scrutinize questions related to the concept Obsessive Measurement Disorder, i.e. what causes an increase in control mechanisms, and how and when can this prove counterproductive? They further investigate the question on why performance management - and measurement requirements seem in some instances to hinder, and in others to support the implementation of aid projects and programs.Drawing on 80 original interviews with aid bureaucrats working at different levels and in different organizations, including public agencies, companies, non-government organisations, and universities all involved in development aid projects financed fully, or in part, by the Swedish taxpayer, they identify coping mechanisms and responses that may help to prevent the extremes of obsessive measurement disorder, and foster instead pragmatic, constructive organizing and learning that benefits not only aid organizations and their employees, but also - and more fundamentally - the societies in need.

Perspectives on Social Problems

How should we understand the ideological foundations of a state that is simultaneously socialist, market‑driven, digitally empowered, and globally influential? Toward a ‘Constitutional’ Socialist State offers a bold, multidimensional exploration of China’s contemporary political evolution, revealing how competing legacies - revolutionary Marxism, constitutionalist aspirations, nationalist rhetoric, and rapid technological transformation - shape its current path.Bringing together insights from political philosophy, economics, digital governance, and history, the book traces the evolving tensions between early Communist ideals and today’s institutional realities. Rather than offering a closed or definitive model, it approaches these themes with an open and multidimensional analytical framework that reflects the complexity of the subject, inviting readers to grapple with ideas still taking shape. Engaging with themes of international relations, social imperialis, Marxist economic thought and the relationship between digital technology and the State, the author advances the provocative concept of constitutional socialism, arguing that safeguarding basic rights is essential to long‑term political legitimacy. At its core is the provocative idea of constitutional socialism - the argument that China’s long‑term legitimacy hinges on protecting fundamental rights.Wide‑ranging, incisive, and rigorously argued, this work provides scholars, practitioners, and globally engaged readers with a fresh conceptual toolkit for assessing China’s future trajectory. At a time when the world watches China with growing urgency, this book offers a rare intellectual lens on the ideological debates and structural dilemmas that will shape the century ahead.

In their foreign markets, MNCs interact not only with customers and suppliers but also with governments and bureaucrats. The book is an outcome of several years of research on MNCs market activities in developing and industrialized countries. Different from the earlier studies this book addresses how interactions not only with business partners, but also with the vast variety of governmental and legislative organizations, affect local firms and MNCs businesses. Based on the business network theory, the book develops a new model for the exchange relationship between local customers and MNCs and investigates the effect of different political organizations and other business firms. It examines relationship using several dimensions, business, social and political, through multiple cases from a developing country (DC) and industrialized countries. The comparison provides deepened knowledge on strength and longevity of business relationship in these two different business worlds. The outcomes reveal new insights with the claim for general appliance for DCs. The book supports the management of MNCs in their understanding of local firms behavior in such markets and to retain appropriate measure in their globalization efforts. The book also enables governments in DCs to realize consequences of their political actions for both local firms and MNCs and thereby industrialization of the country.

Environmental regulation requires that substantial productive resources be diverted to efforts to improve environmental quality. Economic theory says that, all else being equal, regulation will consequently cause costs to rise with resulting losses in competitive advantage and a general weakening of economic performance as measured by indicators such as national or regional income. Empirical tests of this theory generally fail to find such consequences, however. This book sets out the reasons why empirical research and theory are at odds, suggests alternative formulations of the relationship between environmental regulation and economic performance, and presents related original research using Southern California as a case study of economic performance in the context of increasingly stringent and effective environmental controls promulgated over more than 30 years.

The global COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed education as we know it. Globally, billions of learners at all levels were affected by months of rolling school closures and other severe pandemic restrictions to daily life. Magnifying issues of educational equity, access, and opportunity, this unprecedented global crisis forced Deans, and academic and professional staff in schools of education to make decisions for learning, teaching, research, and engagement in a fast-changing landscape. These decisions reshaped schools of education and the lives and experiences of staff and students in powerful ways.Building a Better Normal captures education scholars’ reflections on the decision-making and impacts of their experiences from 2020 to 2023. Uniquely, the volume brings together Education Deans and scholars from Universitas 21 institutions. Drawing on case studies and narrative reflections, the contributors offer crucial insights that can guide higher education and schools of education on structural and conceptual shifts in approaches to leadership, research, teaching, learning, and student and staff well-being.The COVID-19 pandemic is a generation-defining event that will echo in the actions of teachers and researchers for years, allowing us to redefine the landscape of education for a better normal.

Individualism and holism, the concepts embedded in the title of this book, represent two key theoretical perspectives that have for many decades steered and shaped sociological thought. For over a century these two interpretative perspectives have also divided sociological theory into two camps, accompanied by a band of scholars trying to bridge this dualism.According to American sociologist Jeffrey C. Alexander, individualist theories derive their appeal and strength from their underlying assumption that humans make decisions as individual, free, autonomous, and rationally and morally consistent beings. A related belief is that they are able to express these qualities in their actions regardless of the situation in society or what economic or moral conditions prevail.Holistic, or collectivist, theories, unlike individualism, assign primacy to social entities. This perspective is important because it creates the basic precondition through which entities can become the subject of deliberate sociological analysis. However, there is a price for fulfilling this precondition. The emphasis it places on the collective, and on larger entities, logically means that the individual will and free human decision-making tends to be lost from the field of view.This book argues that these two perspectives, individualist and holistic, form the central dilemma of sociological thought. It provides an extensive review and critique of contemporary sociological approaches to this antinomy and examines attempts that have been made to overcome it and unite them. Moreover, the book proposes a new approach to solving this dilemma via the concept of 'critical reconfigurationism', arguing that the resolution of this dilemma is vital not just for sociological theory but also for empirical social research.