Contingency Theory: Rethinking the Boundaries of Social Thought

A major task for social theory in the 1990s is to explain the relationship between individuals and social structures. This book makes two simple suggestions for forging a micro/macro link. The concept of contingency is a breakthrough for social theory. Where current micro/macro debates are merely an expanded, but veiled, regurgitation of philosophical issues debated long ago, the concept of contigency allows social theory to transcend old paradigms and explain contemporary society.