ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter, certain evaluative problems were discussed in relation to the claims of economic sociology to provide a more powerful theory of Economy and Society than either economic liberalism or political economy. The intention was not to eliminate these two traditions from consideration, but to show how they share a common weakness in excluding culture from systematic consideration. The problem here is not simply a matter of neglect and omission. It is also a reflection of a tendency in social theory to attempt unitary theories of society around a limited set of causal prime movers such as 'self-interest' and 'rationality' or 'collective interest' and 'power'.
