Walter W. Powell
Encyclopedia
Walter W. Powell born 1951, is a contemporary American
sociologist. Powell is Professor of Education, Sociology, Organizational Behavior, Management Science and Engineering, and Communication at Stanford University
and the Stanford University School of Education
since 1999 and is known for his contributions to organizational theory, in particular to the new institutionalism
and network theory. Since 2000, he has been an external faculty member of the Santa Fe Institute
.
Powell received his Ph.D.
in sociology from the State University of New York, Stony Brook.
Professor Powell works in the areas of organization theory and economic sociology
. Powell is widely known for his contributions to institutional analysis
, beginning with his article with Paul DiMaggio
, "The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields" (1983) and their subsequent edited book, The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis (1991). These works are widely considered seminal to the development of the new institutionalism within organizational theory.
Powell is also engaged in research on the origins and development of the commercial field of the life sciences, and the dynamics of collaboration that knit together this field. This line of work continues his interests in networks as a governance mechanism, first developed in his seminal 1990 article, "Neither Market Nor Hierarchy: Network Forms of Organization," which won the American Sociological Association
's Max Weber
Prize. Powell and his collaborators have developed a longitudinal database that tracks the development of the biotechnology industry worldwide from the 1980s to the present.
Powell is author and co-author of a number of books: The Culture and Commerce of Publishing (1982), an analysis of the transformation of book publishing from a family-run, craft-based field into a multinational media industry, and author of Getting Into Print (1985), an ethnographic study of decision-making processes in scholarly publishing houses. He has been conducted numerous studies of nonprofit organization
s, ranging from public television and university presses to art museums and higher education
. He edited The Nonprofit Sector (1987, referred to by reviewers as "the Bible of scholarship on the nonprofit sector"). The second edition of the handbook, co-edited with Richard Steinberg
, was published by Yale University Press
in 2006. Powell is also co-editor with Elisabeth Clemens of Private Action and the Public Good (1998).
In 2007, Powell was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sociologist. Powell is Professor of Education, Sociology, Organizational Behavior, Management Science and Engineering, and Communication at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and the Stanford University School of Education
Stanford University School of Education
The Stanford University School of Education , is one of the seven schools of Stanford University. It is the second-oldest school of education in the United States, after NYU...
since 1999 and is known for his contributions to organizational theory, in particular to the new institutionalism
New institutionalism
New institutionalism or neoinstitutionalism is a theory that focuses on developing a sociological view of institutions--the way they interact and the way they affect society...
and network theory. Since 2000, he has been an external faculty member of the Santa Fe Institute
Santa Fe Institute
The Santa Fe Institute is an independent, nonprofit theoretical research institute located in Santa Fe and dedicated to the multidisciplinary study of the fundamental principles of complex adaptive systems, including physical, computational, biological, and social systems.The Institute houses a...
.
Powell received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in sociology from the State University of New York, Stony Brook.
Professor Powell works in the areas of organization theory and economic sociology
Economic sociology
Economic sociology studies both the social effects and the social causes of various economic phenomena. The field can be broadly divided into a classical period and a contemporary one. The classical period was concerned particularly with modernity and its constituent aspects...
. Powell is widely known for his contributions to institutional analysis
Institutional analysis
Institutional analysis is that part of the social sciences which studies how institutions—i.e., structures and mechanisms of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of two or more individuals—behave and function according to both empirical rules and also theoretical rules...
, beginning with his article with Paul DiMaggio
Paul DiMaggio
Paul Joseph DiMaggio is an American educator, and professor of sociology at Princeton University since 1992.-Career:...
, "The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields" (1983) and their subsequent edited book, The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis (1991). These works are widely considered seminal to the development of the new institutionalism within organizational theory.
Powell is also engaged in research on the origins and development of the commercial field of the life sciences, and the dynamics of collaboration that knit together this field. This line of work continues his interests in networks as a governance mechanism, first developed in his seminal 1990 article, "Neither Market Nor Hierarchy: Network Forms of Organization," which won the American Sociological Association
American Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association , founded in 1905 as the American Sociological Society , is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology by serving sociologists in their work and promoting their contributions to serve society.The ASA holds its...
's Max Weber
Max Weber
Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the discipline of sociology itself...
Prize. Powell and his collaborators have developed a longitudinal database that tracks the development of the biotechnology industry worldwide from the 1980s to the present.
Powell is author and co-author of a number of books: The Culture and Commerce of Publishing (1982), an analysis of the transformation of book publishing from a family-run, craft-based field into a multinational media industry, and author of Getting Into Print (1985), an ethnographic study of decision-making processes in scholarly publishing houses. He has been conducted numerous studies of nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
s, ranging from public television and university presses to art museums and higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
. He edited The Nonprofit Sector (1987, referred to by reviewers as "the Bible of scholarship on the nonprofit sector"). The second edition of the handbook, co-edited with Richard Steinberg
Richard Harold Steinberg
Richard Harold Steinberg , is currently Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law, Director of the Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project, and Editor-in-Chief of the . He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and the editorial boards of the American Journal of International Law and...
, was published by Yale University Press
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
in 2006. Powell is also co-editor with Elisabeth Clemens of Private Action and the Public Good (1998).
In 2007, Powell was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
.
Publications
- DiMaggio, Paul J., and Walter W. Powell. 1983. "The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields." American Sociological Review 48:147-60.
- Powell, Walter W., and Paul J. DiMaggio (Eds.). 1991. The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
- Powell, Walter W. 1990. "Neither market nor hierarchy: Network forms of organization." Pp. 295–336 in Research in Organizational Behavior, edited by Barry M. Staw and L. L. Cummings: JAI.
- Powell, W. W. , K. W. Koput, and L. Smith-Doerr. 1996. "Interorganizational Collaboration and the Locus of Innovation: Networks of Learning in Biotechnology." Administrative Science Quarterly 41:116-145.