wuc 2011 - WORKSHOP ON UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES ? THE 75TH JUBILEE OF A SOCIOLOGICAL IDEA

Many comments and theoretical development that followed Robert K. Merton’s work on unanticipated consequences of purposive social actions have focused on ramifying the initial conceptual apparatus. This has developed taking into considerations degrees of nuances in the meanings that are brought when employing such terms as: unexpected, unrecognized, unaware, unforeseen, perverse, in addition to, or instead of, the ones of unintended and unanticipated. The theoretical sophistication has evolved in the sense of depicting the feedback processes from unintended consequences to unrecognized conditions of action (Anthony Giddens), and of listing the unexpected outcomes as one of several alternative sequences to linear purposive actions (Alejandro Portes), just to cite a few contributions. The workshop aims to summarize and revitalize this debate.

On the other hand, the purpose of the conference is to bridge the gap between the discussions on unintended consequences and many discourses that emerged in theoretical circumstances different from, or even opposed to, mertonian functionalism. Similar themes were undertaken by scholars active in fields as different as systems’ theory, post-foucauldian governance studies or neoinstitutionalism. Since terms used in such studies range from risk through contingency to regulatory failures, it is worthwhile to see whether linguistic differences signify speaking of different phenomena.

Thus, the organizers of the workshop welcome all contributions relevant for ‘sociology as an analysis of the unintended’ ? 75 years after the original term was coined. The event will take place at Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Journalism, University of Gdańsk. Papers will be invited for publication in a themed volume. For further details about the conference please visit: www.wuc.ifsid.ug.edu.pl

Proposed Themes

1: ‘Sociology as the analysis of the unintended’

”The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Social Action” (1936) has to be understood as the first manifest initiative to institutionalize ‘sociology as the analysis of the unanticipated’ (to paraphrase Alejandro Portes’ term: “sociology as the analysis of the unexpected”). In the sociological tradition, there are, of course, other theories which offer alternative conceptualizations and methodologies. Following Raymond Boudon, we could also opt for a “paradigm of perverse effects” for example. Nonetheless, the term ‘unintended’ seems to be more inclusive than the related ones such as unanticipated, unforeseen, unexpected etc. It is also more extensive for the reason that it does not exclude the concepts anticipated, foreseen, expected, aware and recognized from the definition of unintended consequences. Furthermore, it accommodates Colin Campbell’s argument for the analytical potential of the manifest-latent distinction in the analysis of the dynamics of coming to terms with the consequences of purposive social action.

Unintended consequences

Unanticipated consequences

Recognition of unintended consequences vs. recognition of causes of these consequences

‘Sociology as the analysis of the unexpected’

‘The paradigm of perverse effects’

‘Sociology as the analysis of the intended’

From unintended consequences to unacknowledged conditions of action

Social change

Agency vs. structure

Institutions

2: Commentary to Robert K. Merton

Robert K. Merton’s problematization of unintended consequences was first outlined in the article “The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Social Action” (1936) and afterwards in the chapter on “Manifest and Latent Functions” (1949). It is a common practice of ‘sociology as analysis of the unintended’ to consider them both when giving a thorough thought to terms such as unanticipated/unintended consequences, cumulative effects, perverse effects, side effects, long-term shots, risks etc. There is also a visible tendency to subject (rather) the latter to considerations outlined in a critical fashion.

The unanticipated consequences of purposive social action

Manifest and latent functions

The explanatory value of ‘manifest functions’

The explanatory potential of ‘latent functions’

Mertonian sociological explanations: from functionalism to structuralism

The functional style of analysis vs. the consequential style of analysis

3: Theoretical guidelines

It can be observed that ? in the potential field of ‘sociology as analysis of the unintended’ ? each social theorist finds its own ‘unintended’ object of research. In case of Robert K. Merton this was unintended as unanticipated, followed by unintended as unrecognized (in the sense of unaware) and as unofficial. In the case of Anthony Giddens we have unintended as unaware and unacknowledged (conditions of action). Jon Elster treats the unintended as such in particular scenarios where the unintended outcome might be foreseen. All these developments in the ‘sociology as analysis of the unintended’ foresee the possibility of its convergence with other theoretical endeavors such as functionalism, structuralism, the theory of structuration, methodological individualism, rational choice theory, game theory etc.

Sociology of law

Functionalism

Structuralism

Theory of structuration

Methodological individualism

Rational choice theory

Game theory

New institutionalism

Sociology of emotions

4: Planning and Social Control

In a certain sense, the problem of unintended and unanticipated pertains to the effectiveness of practices and the boundaries of such concepts as: ‘social control’, ‘social planning’ etc. For decades now, applied sociology ? both the academic oriented one, and the field which had the opportunity to serve major projects of social change (i.e. Public Policy) ? has experienced some kind of disappointment in relation to the effects of these changes. The (expected) outcomes are perceived to be at best average. A groundbreaking point was Charles E. Lindblom’s article ”The Science of the Muddling Throw” (1959). The author advances here an incrementalist critique of rational planning. According to him, it became obvious that the organizational shortcomings are not the only explanations for these failures, that these are determined by social regularities the existence of which we can only guess. Still, this raises problem for social planners, given that a society organized on rational bases cannot easily dispense with planning (Niklas Luhmann) or ‘sociotechnique’ (Adam Podgórecki).

Social control

Public Policy

Incrementalism

Social change

Social planning

Sociotechnique

Trust

5: Crises and ‘Risk Society’

The social consequences of disasters and crises raise problems of social self-organization and structural change. The empirical analyses of the ‘sociology as the analysis of the unintended’ include inquiries into the unanticipated, unexpected, unforeseen and surprising events such as disasters, crises, critical phenomena, ’risk society’ (Ulrich Beck), ‘risk and blame’ (Mary Douglas) etc.

Crises

Critical phenomena

Scandal

Moral panic

Risk

Blame

Responsibility