PapersFlow Research Brief
Society, Economy, and Ethics Research
Research Guide
What is Society, Economy, and Ethics Research?
Society, Economy, and Ethics Research is a cluster of papers that explores the societal impacts of risk, modernization, and globalization, with a focus on ethics, cultural studies, neoliberalism, urban education, corporate responsibility, identity politics, social justice, and economic philosophy.
This field encompasses 2,894 works in Sociology and Political Science. Cvetkovich (2002) examines lesbian feelings through documentary and popular culture in "In the Archives of Lesbian Feelings: Documentary and Popular Culture." Akindès (2004) analyzes the roots of military-political crises in Côte d'Ivoire in his paper of the same title.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Neoliberalism and Societal Impacts
This sub-topic critiques neoliberal policies' effects on inequality, labor precarity, and public services privatization. Researchers analyze case studies from global South contexts and resistance movements.
Corporate Social Responsibility Frameworks
This sub-topic develops theoretical models and empirical assessments of CSR practices in sustainable development contexts. Researchers evaluate stakeholder engagement and legitimacy strategies.
Identity Politics in Social Justice
This sub-topic examines intersections of race, gender, and class in contemporary activism and policy discourses. Researchers trace historical evolutions and cultural representations.
Ethics of Globalization
This sub-topic addresses moral dilemmas in global trade, migration, and cultural exchanges under globalization. Researchers apply cosmopolitan and communitarian ethical lenses.
Cultural Studies of Economic Practices
This sub-topic investigates informal economies, gift exchanges, and conventions shaping market behaviors across cultures. Researchers use ethnographic methods to challenge rational actor models.
Why It Matters
This research addresses corporate responsibility through marketing as a tool for legitimation in sustainable development, as shown in Gabriel (2003) "Le marketing comme moyen de légitimation des entreprises dans une perspective de développement durable," which has 44 citations. It critiques neoliberalism with alternatives proposed by Andrade et al. (2015) in "Uma alternativa ao neoliberalismo," drawing on Foucault and Marx to explore the principle of the common. Political crises are dissected in Akindès (2004) "The roots of the military-political crises in Côte d'Ivoire," linking to 62 citations on West African stability breakdowns. Revolutions are contextualized socially in Mabrouk (2011) "A revolution for dignity and freedom: preliminary observations on the social and cultural background to the Tunisian revolution," with 51 citations.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
Begin with "In the Archives of Lesbian Feelings: Documentary and Popular Culture" by Cvetkovich (2002) because it is the most-cited paper with 88 citations and introduces cultural studies on identity and feelings accessible to newcomers.
Key Papers Explained
Cvetkovich (2002) "In the Archives of Lesbian Feelings: Documentary and Popular Culture" (88 citations) sets a foundation in cultural studies of identity. Akindès (2004) "The roots of the military-political crises in Côte d'Ivoire" (62 citations) builds by applying societal analysis to political crises in globalization contexts. Lordon (2013) "Pour un structuralisme des passions" (55 citations) advances with structuralism reconciling structures and agency, while Mabrouk (2011) "A revolution for dignity and freedom: preliminary observations on the social and cultural background to the Tunisian revolution" (51 citations) connects to social justice revolutions. Le Texier (2012) "Foucault, le pouvoir et l'entreprise : pour une théorie de la gouvernementalité managériale" (50 citations) links ethics to economic philosophy via power in enterprises.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Research continues on neoliberal critiques and alternatives as in Andrade et al. (2015), economics of convention paradoxes per Desrosières (2011), and popular economies in Gago et al. (2018), with no recent preprints noted.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In the Archives of Lesbian Feelings: Documentary and Popular C... | 2002 | Camera Obscura Feminis... | 88 | ✕ |
| 2 | The roots of the military-political crises in Côte d'Ivoire | 2004 | Publications (Konstfac... | 62 | ✓ |
| 3 | Pour un structuralisme des passions | 2013 | Tracés | 55 | ✓ |
| 4 | A revolution for dignity and freedom: preliminary observations... | 2011 | The Journal of North A... | 51 | ✕ |
| 5 | Foucault, le pouvoir et l'entreprise : pour une théorie de la ... | 2012 | Revue de philosophie é... | 50 | ✕ |
| 6 | The Economics of Convention and Statistics: The Paradox of Ori... | 2011 | Social Science Open Ac... | 48 | ✓ |
| 7 | Le marketing comme moyen de légitimation des entreprises dans ... | 2003 | Décisions Marketing | 44 | ✕ |
| 8 | Uma alternativa ao neoliberalismo | 2015 | — | 44 | ✕ |
| 9 | The vicissitudes of The Gift | 2007 | Social Anthropology | 38 | ✕ |
| 10 | Presentación del dossier. Economía popular: entre la informali... | 2018 | Íconos - Revista de Ci... | 36 | ✓ |
Latest Developments
The latest developments in Society, Economy, and Ethics Research include upcoming events such as the 8th ISBEE World Congress in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in 2026, focusing on business ethics (isbee.org), and the 8th Ethics of Business, Trade, and Global Governance Conference scheduled for February 6-7, 2026, at Saint Anselm College, USA (philevents.org). Recent research highlights include studies on the association of subjective socioeconomic status and income inequality with morality across 67 countries, published in September 2023 (nature.com), and a 2026 working paper from the NBER examining how economic hardship influences cheating behavior (nber.org).
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Cvetkovich explore in her work?
Cvetkovich (2002) investigates lesbian feelings via documentary and popular culture in "In the Archives of Lesbian Feelings: Documentary and Popular Culture." The paper connects to her books on feminism, mass culture, and trauma in lesbian public cultures. It has 88 citations.
How does Akindès explain Côte d'Ivoire's crises?
Akindès (2004) traces the roots of military-political crises in Côte d'Ivoire to the 1999 coup and 2002 conflict in "The roots of the military-political crises in Côte d'Ivoire." This broke the country's tradition of political stability in West Africa. The paper has 62 citations.
What is the economics of convention?
Desrosières (2011) discusses the paradox of origins in "The Economics of Convention and Statistics: The Paradox of Origins." It emerged in 1980s France with founders from INSEE having statistics backgrounds. The paper has 48 citations.
How does Foucault relate to managerial governmentality?
Le Texier (2012) applies Foucault's power concepts to enterprise in "Foucault, le pouvoir et l'entreprise : pour une théorie de la gouvernementalité managériale." It shifts from discipline to positive mechanisms. The paper has 50 citations.
What alternatives to neoliberalism are proposed?
Andrade et al. (2015) offer an alternative in "Uma alternativa ao neoliberalismo," using Foucault and Marx to rethink critical thought and the common. It diagnoses neoliberal society. The paper has 44 citations.
Open Research Questions
- ? How can structuralism integrate passions without opposing structures and agency, as raised in Lordon (2013)?
- ? What social and cultural factors sustain popular economies between informality and expanded reproduction, per Gago et al. (2018)?
- ? In what ways does marketing legitimize corporate responsibility for sustainable development, following Gabriel (2003)?
- ? How do Foucault's ideas on power evolve into managerial governmentality in enterprises, as in Le Texier (2012)?
Recent Trends
The field holds 2,894 works with growth data unavailable; top papers from 2002-2018 like Cvetkovich (2002, 88 citations) and Gago et al. (2018, 36 citations) indicate steady citation accumulation without new preprints or news in the last 12 months.
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