Social topography of knowledge based economies

The success or failure of a social setting to adjust to challenges posed by global trends depends on its ability to form social topography conducive to knowledge based economy. Interestingly enough, sociological analysis of necessary and sufficient conditions of knowledge based economy remains curiously underdeveloped; economics, economic and regional geography and political science are in the forefront of this strand of research. However, sociology has much to offer through its analysis of the three social forces shaping social topography. First, sociological neo-institutionalism has much to offer in analysis of economic institutions. Second, social network analysis is one of the most thriving areas of sociological research in the past two decades, leading to important breakthroughs in economic sociology and research methods. Finally, sociology of culture provides us with theoretically informed accounts of cognitive frames’ role in influencing social action.

Ability of a social setting to become a fertile ground for knowledge based economy thus depends on the three social forces: relevant institutions, social networks and cognitive frames. We have a rich body of literature in economic sociology at our disposal, providing evidence of each of them being relevant factors for a variety of economic outcomes. However, this literature usully fails to take into account that social forces operate interdependently, forming relational topography of social fields, making them more or less conducive to successful adaptation to global trends by determining the outcome of processes of knowledge (re)production and knowledge transfer.

In this paper we will conceptualise sociological explanation of factors and mechanisms by which social forces make social topography conducive for development of knowledge based economy, by applying Jens Beckert’s theory of social fields.