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Article: Invigorating the content in social embeddedness: An ethnography of life insurance transactions in China

TitleInvigorating the content in social embeddedness: An ethnography of life insurance transactions in China
Authors
Issue Date2009
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJS
Citation
American Journal Of Sociology, 2009, v. 115 n. 3, p. 712-754 How to Cite?
AbstractBased on more than 14 months' ethnographic research in China, this article brings in culture and symbolic interactionism to understand the social embeddedness of economic transactions. First, an analytic frame linking tie strengths to defining principles, relational properties, and interactions is constructed and applied to changes in life insurance transactions in China. The data suggest that strong tie transactions were common until the economic gains of the sellers were made public. The author argues that the ethical-affective principle that defines strong ties and the high intensity of trust, affection, and asymmetric obligation that constitute these ties make them a double-edged sword for economic transactions. Instead, ties with midrange or weak strength are more effective because of their relational complementarity (although direct economic exchanges may take place among strong ties under extreme institutional or contingency conditions). The author also reveals that dramaturgical interactions, through which economic actors exercise their agency, are an integral part of embedded transactions. © 2009 by the University of Chicago. AU Rights Reserved.
Persistent Identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/82441
ISSN
2023 Impact Factor: 4.4
2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 2.290
ISI Accession Number ID
References

 

DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorChan, CSCen_HK
dc.date.accessioned2010-09-06T08:29:21Z-
dc.date.available2010-09-06T08:29:21Z-
dc.date.issued2009en_HK
dc.identifier.citationAmerican Journal Of Sociology, 2009, v. 115 n. 3, p. 712-754en_HK
dc.identifier.issn0002-9602en_HK
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/82441-
dc.description.abstractBased on more than 14 months' ethnographic research in China, this article brings in culture and symbolic interactionism to understand the social embeddedness of economic transactions. First, an analytic frame linking tie strengths to defining principles, relational properties, and interactions is constructed and applied to changes in life insurance transactions in China. The data suggest that strong tie transactions were common until the economic gains of the sellers were made public. The author argues that the ethical-affective principle that defines strong ties and the high intensity of trust, affection, and asymmetric obligation that constitute these ties make them a double-edged sword for economic transactions. Instead, ties with midrange or weak strength are more effective because of their relational complementarity (although direct economic exchanges may take place among strong ties under extreme institutional or contingency conditions). The author also reveals that dramaturgical interactions, through which economic actors exercise their agency, are an integral part of embedded transactions. © 2009 by the University of Chicago. AU Rights Reserved.en_HK
dc.languageengen_HK
dc.publisherUniversity of Chicago Press. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJSen_HK
dc.relation.ispartofAmerican Journal of Sociologyen_HK
dc.rightsAmerican Journal of Sociology. Copyright © University of Chicago Press.en_HK
dc.titleInvigorating the content in social embeddedness: An ethnography of life insurance transactions in Chinaen_HK
dc.typeArticleen_HK
dc.identifier.openurlhttp://library.hku.hk:4550/resserv?sid=HKU:IR&issn=0002-9602&volume=115 &issue=3&spage=&epage=&date=2009&atitle=Invigorating+the+Content+in+Social+Embeddedness:+An+Ethnography+of+Life+Insurance+Transactions+in+Chinaen_HK
dc.identifier.emailChan, CSC: cherisch@hku.hken_HK
dc.identifier.authorityChan, CSC=rp00617en_HK
dc.description.naturepublished_or_final_version-
dc.identifier.doi10.1086/603532-
dc.identifier.pmid20503741-
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-77149174490en_HK
dc.identifier.hkuros162348en_HK
dc.relation.referenceshttp://www.scopus.com/mlt/select.url?eid=2-s2.0-77149174490&selection=ref&src=s&origin=recordpageen_HK
dc.identifier.volume115en_HK
dc.identifier.issue3en_HK
dc.identifier.spage712en_HK
dc.identifier.epage754en_HK
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000274365700002-
dc.publisher.placeUnited Statesen_HK
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridChan, CSC=36005719500en_HK
dc.identifier.issnl0002-9602-

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