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040236 KU Topics in Economic Sociology (MA) (2025W)
Markets, Morals and Norms: Social and Economic Exchange in the Digital Society
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Mo 08.09.2025 09:00 to We 17.09.2025 12:00
- Registration is open from We 24.09.2025 09:00 to Th 25.09.2025 12:00
- Deregistration possible until Tu 14.10.2025 23:59
Details
max. 34 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
The dates of the public lecture and the workshop at the Central European University will be communicated in October 2025.
- Wednesday 14.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 17 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Thursday 15.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 15 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Friday 16.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 17 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Tuesday 20.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 15 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Wednesday 21.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 15 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- N Friday 23.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 12 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Tuesday 27.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 15 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Wednesday 28.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 17 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Thursday 29.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 15 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Friday 30.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 17 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
(A detailed description of group assignments, presentation and essay topics will be provided in the detailed course syllabus in due time.)
Group assignments: Students will complete several assignments in groups. Some of these assignments will be graded. The graded group assignments will contribute 25% to the final course grade.
Presentations: Students will present group projects that will emerge from the assignments. The graded presentations will contribute 25% to the final course grade.
Research essays: Students will elaborate their group projects in the form of research essays. The graded essays will contribute 50% to the final course grade.
Group assignments: Students will complete several assignments in groups. Some of these assignments will be graded. The graded group assignments will contribute 25% to the final course grade.
Presentations: Students will present group projects that will emerge from the assignments. The graded presentations will contribute 25% to the final course grade.
Research essays: Students will elaborate their group projects in the form of research essays. The graded essays will contribute 50% to the final course grade.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
To obtain a grade and pass the course, participants must actively participate in at least 8 of the 10 course units, be present at the public lecture, the workshop at the Central European University, and complete the assessments with a passing final grade.
Examination topics
There will be no separate exam.
Reading list
General readings:
(A list of compulsory and further readings will be provided in the detailed course syllabus in due time.)
Bartlett, J. (2014). The Dark Net: Inside the Digital Underworld. Melville House.
Diekmann, A., & Przepiorka, W. (2019). Trust and Reputation in Markets. In F. Giardini & R. Wittek (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Gossip and Reputation (pp. 383-400). Oxford University Press.
Gambetta, D., & Hamill, H. (2005). Streetwise: How Taxi Drivers Establish their Customers' Trustworthiness. Russell Sage Foundation.
Mayer-Schönberger, V., & Ramge, T. (2018). Reinventing Capitalism in the Age of Big Data. Basic Books.
Posner, E. A. (2000). Law and Social Norms. Harvard University Press.
Przepiorka, W., & Diekmann, A. (2021). Parochial cooperation and the emergence of signalling norms. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 376, 20200294.
Przepiorka, W., Norbutas, L., & Corten, R. (2017). Order without law: Reputation promotes cooperation in a cryptomarket for illegal drugs. European Sociological Review, 33(6), 752-764.
(A list of compulsory and further readings will be provided in the detailed course syllabus in due time.)
Bartlett, J. (2014). The Dark Net: Inside the Digital Underworld. Melville House.
Diekmann, A., & Przepiorka, W. (2019). Trust and Reputation in Markets. In F. Giardini & R. Wittek (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Gossip and Reputation (pp. 383-400). Oxford University Press.
Gambetta, D., & Hamill, H. (2005). Streetwise: How Taxi Drivers Establish their Customers' Trustworthiness. Russell Sage Foundation.
Mayer-Schönberger, V., & Ramge, T. (2018). Reinventing Capitalism in the Age of Big Data. Basic Books.
Posner, E. A. (2000). Law and Social Norms. Harvard University Press.
Przepiorka, W., & Diekmann, A. (2021). Parochial cooperation and the emergence of signalling norms. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 376, 20200294.
Przepiorka, W., Norbutas, L., & Corten, R. (2017). Order without law: Reputation promotes cooperation in a cryptomarket for illegal drugs. European Sociological Review, 33(6), 752-764.
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Mo 27.10.2025 10:25
In the first half, we explore how digital transformations, in particular the rise of online platforms and reputation systems, have reshaped the conditions of socially embedded exchange. We analyze how reputation-based online markets have replaced localized, trust-based interactions, enabling economic cooperation among strangers across vast networks. Yet these shifts also blur traditional boundaries between social and economic spheres, raising questions about new forms of exchange, institutions, and the interplay of moral norms, market logic, and digital infrastructures.
The second half introduces the concept of signaling norms, a theoretical innovation that extends the theory of social norms and signaling theory. While cooperation and coordination norms prescribe behaviors that mitigate negative externalities, adherence to signaling norms reduces uncertainties about group belonging and commitment. We examine how these norms operate across domains such as religion, class, and ethnicity, and how intergroup conflict catalyzes their formation. We engage with the role of cultural codes, symbolic boundaries, and normative expectations in promoting trust and cooperation in social and economic exchange.
The course equips students to theorize markets not as autonomous systems but as institutions that are continually reshaped by shifting values, normative boundaries, and technological innovations. In particular, students will learn how to conceive, describe and explain the interplay of market mechanisms, digital technologies, moral norms and social norms. After completing this course, students can…
- …understand the main theoretical concepts and mechanisms
- …critically reflect on applications of these concepts and mechanisms
- …apply these concepts and mechanisms to explain some social phenomena
- …develop theoretical arguments based on these concepts and mechanisms
Further, students will consolidate their oral presentation, collaboration, and writing skills through their active participation and the completion of assignments, group projects and written essays (see Assessment).