How do Social Structures Emerge? An Introduction to the Micro-Macro Problem

Catalog description

Where do social structures come from? Social structures emerge from interaction between individuals. But not all interactions create durable structures. In this course, we will explore several micro-mechanisms through which the intended and unintended consequences of interdependent action create macro-level structures that we care about. How can small initial difference blow-up into large macro-level inequality? Will interpersonal influence alleviate or aggravate inequality? Why do individual actors engage in collective action to create public goods, when everyone will enjoy the benefits of such goods regardless of one's participation? How large an in-group bias is needed to create segregated neighborhoods? These are examples of questions that we will explore in this seminar. Exploring these questions will lead us to topics in interpersonal influence, diffusion, collective action, and emergence of norms, hierarchies, and segregation patterns, among others.