Classical and Contemporary Social Theory
2 total works
This book explores two public sector scandals in the UK, drawing on Max Weber’s thought on ‘the iron cage’ to understand how these cases of patient-neglect in NHS hospitals and failures by police and social workers to address the organised sexual exploitation of young girls occurred.
Through examination of the management failures and institutional vulnerabilities, and with attention to the trends of bureaucratisation and rationalisation that characterised both scandals, it reveals the explanatory power of Weber’s thought, developing a theoretical model that updates and extends Weber’s work in light of the cases discussed. The final chapter examines the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights how the focus on a rational techno-medical solution to the pandemic offered by the vaccines together with bureaucratic expansion has created an authoritarian and totalitarian society which represents the ultimate realisation of Weber’s iron cage.
Showing that ordinary people, including professionals, are still trapped in the ‘iron cage’, it will appeal to scholars of sociology and social theory, as well as those providing training and working within the caring and service professions of policing, social work and nursing.
Corporate Totalitarianism reflects on the changing nature of economic, political, and social power in the global context and the ways in which this affects both individual and society.
Inspired by the thought of Hannah Arendt and informed by Weber's work on rationalisation and bureaucracy, the book shows how fear and alienation are used to generate compliance in the population, shedding light on the growing state capture by capital interests. With attention to the manner in which propaganda, censorship, and surveillance are being used to monitor and disrupt dissenters through the exploitation of technology, the author considers not only the potential use and misuse of technology to enforce compliance but also its capacity to challenge corruption and protect human rights, with decentralised ledgers and blockchain technology currently offering the possibility of increased transparency, accountability, and trust in a variety of domains.
An engaging study of the growth of power and control in contemporary societies, this book will appeal to scholars of social theory and political sociology with interests in the surveillance state and the social role of technology.