![]() Weber, who is keenly aware of the fictional nature of the "ideal type", therefore states that it never seeks to claim its validity in terms of a reproduction of or correspondence with social reality. Weber described four categories of "Ideal Types" of behavior: zweckrational (goal-rationality), wertrational (value-rationality), affektual (emotional-rationality) and traditional (custom, unconscious habit). But interpretation poses a problem for the investigator who has to attempt to classify behavior as belonging to some prior "ideal type". To try to understand a particular phenomenon, one must not only describe the actions of its participants but "interpret" them as well. It can be used to analyze both a general, suprahistorical phenomenon such as capitalism or historically unique occurrences such as in Weber's Protestant Ethics analysis. Weber himself wrote: "An ideal type is formed by the one-sided accentuation of one or more points of view and by the synthesis of a great many diffuse, discrete, more or less present and occasionally absent concrete individual phenomena, which are arranged according to those onesidedly emphasized viewpoints into a unified analytical construct." It is a useful tool for comparative sociology in analyzing social or economic phenomena, having advantages over a very general, abstract idea and a specific historical example. It is also important to pay attention that in using the word "ideal" Max Weber refers to the world of ideas ( German: Gedankenbilder, "mental images") and not to perfection these "ideal types" are idea-constructs that help put the seeming chaos of social reality in order. It is not meant to refer to perfect things, moral ideals nor to statistical averages but rather to stress certain elements common to most cases of the given phenomenon. The "ideal type" is therefore a subjective element in social theory and research, and one of the subjective elements distinguishing sociology from natural science.Īn ideal type is formed from characteristics and elements of the given phenomena, but it is not meant to correspond to all of the characteristics of any one particular case. For Weber, the conduct of social science depends upon the construction of abstract, hypothetical concepts. Economic Geography will continue to stress important contributions to the ongoing development of theory in global economic geography.Ideal type ( German: Idealtypus), also known as pure type, is a typological term most closely associated with the sociologist Max Weber (1864–1920). Articles in the past decade chronicle the significant upsurge of scholarly interest in economic geography during a period of massive change, rampant technological growth, and realignment in the global economy. Each issue includes feature articles and book reviews. ![]() In keeping with the international scope and impact of this work, Economic Geography focuses upon exciting new research ideas and analyses emerging from scholarly networks worldwide. Highlighting the publication of theoretically-based empirical articles and case studies of significant theoretical trends that are occurring within the field of economic geography, the journal serves as a forum for high-quality and innovative scholarship. If diffusion theory is to maintain its explanatory power in the face of continued time-space convergence, it must recognize the importance of adaptation processes in innovation diffusion and place greater emphasis on the role that local context plays in shaping innovation acceptance.Įconomic Geography, published quarterly, is a leading English-language journal devoted to the study of economic geography and is widely read by academics and professionals around the world. Variations in local factors affecting receptiveness provide a better explanation of their diffusion than does position in a communications network. This expectation is confirmed by the examples of residential air conditioning and home food freezers, both innovations whose functions and technology were well known before they began their diffusion. Innovations that are adapted to local conditions will be well-received and likely adopted those not adapted will be rejected. The adoption pattern of an innovation that is widely known and widely available at the very time it is diffusing is likely to be shaped by place-to-place differences in receptiveness to the innovation, rather than by the differential availability of information. Conversely, the importance of local conditions increases. Yet as time-space convergence continues and the world becomes increasingly well-connected, the ability of information movement to shape patterns of innovation adoption weakens. ![]() Current models of spatial diffusion largely overlook the role that local context plays in shaping diffusion patterns, emphasizing instead the importance of information flow and innovation delivery systems.
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