Mark Granovetter

Mark Granovetter's main interest is in the way people, social networks and social institutions interact and shape one another. He has written extensively on this subject, including his two most widely cited articles "The Strength of Weak Ties" (1973) and "Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness" (1985). In recent years, his focus has been on the social foundations of the economy, and he is working on a book entitled Society and Economy, to be published by Harvard University Press in two volumes. The first volume, Society and Economy: Framework and Principles,appeared in 2017. It is broadly theoretical, treating the role in the economy of social networks, norms, culture, trust, power, and social institutions. The second volume will use this framework to illuminate the study of such important topics as corruption, corporate governance, organizational form and the emergence of new industries such as the American electricity industry and the high-tech industry of Silicon Valley.