Michael Hechter

A theory of the value of children

This paper uses a non-standard value assumption—uncertainty reduction—to explain parenthood. We begin by reviewing the inadequacies of normative and standard rational choice explanations of shifts in fertility behavior. Then we propose a theory of the value of children based on the uncertainty-reduction assumption. Next we generate a range of hypotheses that follow both from this assumption and from a subsidiary assumption of marital solidarity enhancement. Finally, we explore the extent to which implications based on these new ideas are supported by the relevant empirical literature.

The Role of General Theory in Comparative-Historical Sociology

The methodological foundations of comparative-historical sociology have been transformed dramatically in recent years. Arguments against general theoretical models have proliferated, while the complexity and uniqueness of historical events and the virtues of inductive methods have been emphasized. The growing convergence of sociology and history has led to a decline in the use of general theories. This article begins with a description and analysis of the recent transformation of the methodology of comparative-historical sociology. An overreliance on inductive methods has resulted in inadequate specifications of causal relations and causal mechanisms in recent comparative-historical sociology. The concluding section discusses a nascent rational choice research program in political sociology to illustrate an alternative methodology.

Group Formation and the Cultural Division of Labor.

A structural theory of the relationship between class and status group formation is presented. The approach postulates, first, that differences in the solidarity of any objectively defined groups are independently determined by the extent of stratification among these groups and interaction within them. These expectations are confirmed by an analysis of variation in the solidarity of 17 American ethnic groups in 1970. Second, the relative importance of class as against status group division in societies as a whole is held to depend upon the degree of hierarchy and segmentation of their respective cultural divisions of labor. Supportive evidence is found in the examination of differences in the strength of class voting among five Australian states in 1964.

The contribution of rational choice theory to macrosociological research

Because it consists of an entire family of specific theories derived from the same first principles, rational choice offers one approach to generate explanations that provide for micro-macro links, and to attack a wide variety of empirical problems in macrosociology. The aims of this paper are (I) to provide a bare skeleton of all rational choice arguments; (2) to demonstrate their applicability to a range of macrosociological concerns by reviewing a sample of both new and classic works; and (3) to discuss the weaknesses of current rational choice theory and the possibilities for its future development.

The Debate on Historical Sociology: Rational Choice Theory and Its Critics

In the past two decades, many sociologists have denied the use‐fulness of general theories in favor of more particularistic ap‐proaches to historical explanation, which makes it difficult to specify both the causal relations and the causal mechanisms that account for social outcomes. This article offers some philosophical and theo‐retical justifications for the use of general theory in historical analy‐sis and contends that general theory guides the selection of facts, provides a source of generalizable causal mechanisms, facilitates the cumulation of knowledge across substantive domains, reveals anom‐alies that lead to new questions, and creates the conditions under which existing theories can be supplanted by superior ones. The au‐thors further outline the concrete research practices that flow from their approach and discuss several empirical studies that exemplify these five advantages.

The Origin of Values

Although values play a leading role in nearly every explanatory theory in the broad realm of the social and behavioral sciences, very little multidisciplinary research material on values is available. Addressing this need, the editors bring together distinguished social scientists, psychologists, and biologists who collaboratively explore fundamental questions about values: What are the determinants of social values, taboos, and ideologies? What are the determinants of individual values? What is the nature of motivations and rewards? Is there an evolutionary basis for the development of values?

The Dynamics of Secession

This paper presents an analysis of secession based on rational choice premises. From these premises, secession is seen to be the outcome of a series of collective decisions made by regional leaders and populations, and by the leaders and populations of host states. This emphasis on collective decisions serves to differentiate secession from another process that leads to the formation of political units — the fragmentation of host states The analysis explains why secession has been such a rare outcome in modern history and suggests that it will continue to be rare in the foreseeable future.

From class to culture

This article contends that class politics has receded in advanced capitalist societies during the last century, while cultural politics has increased, and it focuses on social and political institutions, rather than on occupational structure, to explain the shift. Participation in solidary groups has consequences for the social bases of politics, and the political salience of such groups is affected by social institutions that are independent of occupational structure. The first such institution is direct rule. Whereas indirect rule tends to promote class politics, direct rule favors cultural politics. Rapid expansion of direct rule since the 1960s has muted class politics and increased cultural politics. This relationship is not deterministic, however; other institutions can mitigate the effects of direct rule on the social bases of politics.

The Role of Values in Rational Choice Theory

Most empirical applications of rational choice employ a typical value assumption—that actors are motivated to pursue private and instrumental goods. When is this typical value assumption warranted, and when is it not? This article proposes guidelines for thinking about the use of value assumptions in rational choice theory. When instrumental and immanent values are substitutable, use of the typical value assumption is justifiable. However, in cases where there is imperfect substitutability—in which actors face production constraints, significant role conflict, or in which immanent values are nonrandomly distributed—the typical value assumption should be reexamined.

A Theory of Ethnic Collective Action

This article presents a theory to explain the frequency of ethnic collective action. Based on rational choice premises, it represents an alternative to currently popular structural theories. We demonstrate why an individual will not necessarily join a collective action even if its end is beneficial to him, and why collective action does not always occur among the most seriously disadvantaged ethnic groups. The strength of ethnically based organizations is held to be an especially powerful determinant of the likelihood of ethnic collective action.