SOCIOLOGY

Relationship between Sociology and other Social

Sciences

Sociology And Economics

Submitted To: Submitted By:

Mr.Honey Kumar Anagh Kumar Tiwari

Roll no. 18203

1st semester 2018-2019

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like express my special thanks of gratitude to all those who

helped and supported me during writing of this project.
I am deeply indebted to my teacher Mr. Honey Kumar who has been
my Guide in making of this project right from the very beginning.
I would like to thank all my batchmates and seniors with whom I had
productive discussion on this topic.
I would also like to thank my Institution and the faculty members
without whom this project would have been a distant reality. I also
express a heartfelt thanks to my family members.

Anagh Kumar Tiwari

1st semester
2018-19
 INDEX
Acknowledgement
1. Introduction
1.1 What Is Economics?
2. Interdisciplinary Approach
2.1. Historical Development
2.2. Definitions Given By Different Economists
2.3. Definitions Given By Different Sociologists
2.4.Societal Forces Shaping Economic Behaviour
2.4.1.Power
2.4.2. Institution
2.5.Common Issues Concerning Both Sociology And Economy
2.5.1.Unemployment
2.5.2.Child Labour
3.Conclusion
4.Bibliography
 1) Introduction

What Is Sociology?

The term sociology was coined (used) by Auguste Comte, a French Philosopher, in 1839,
who is one of the founding fathers of sociology. Others three are Max Webber, Ermile
Durkhiemade and Herbert Spencer. Auguste Comte introduced to the term ‘sociology’ in
his famous book “The Course Of Positive Philoshopy”. The teaching of sociology as a
separate discipline started in 1876 in the USA; in 1889 in France. The department of
sociology/anthropology was established in 1981 in Nepal, under the chairmanship of
Chaitayjaat Mishra at TU.

Sociology is the youngest of all the social science. The word ‘sociology’ is derived from
the Latin word ‘societo’ meaning ‘society’ and the Greek word ‘logos’ meaning ‘study
or science’. Thus, the etymological meaning of ‘sociology’ is the science of society.
Sociology is the study of man’s behaviour in groups or of the interaction among human
beings of social relationship and the processes by which human group activity takes place.
In general, the major subjects of the sociology are society and human behaviour.
Therefore, we can say sociology is not only study of man’s behaviour, it is the science of
society, or of social phenomena, it studies of the relationships between man and his
environment. Sociology is also the scientific study of the structural of socialize and
society.

Now we may come to conclusion that sociology is concerned with human relationship,
its emphasis is on the ‘social aspect of these relationships. Its real subject matter is social
relationship. The basis of social interaction or social processes is social relationships.
Man becomes a social animal only when he enters into social relationship. The different
aspects of social life viz. political in economic are but the expressions of social
relationship economic are but the expressions of social relationships. The sociologists
attempt to discover the evolution of society, its systems and structures, the development
 of social institutions and their functions, the customs and rules regulating social
relationships, and the phenomena of social change.

Some of the definitions of sociology are given below:

1. ‘Sociology is the study of human interaction and interrelationship their condition

and consequences.’ – M. Gimsberg
2. ‘Sociology is the science which attempts the interpretive understanding of social
action.’ – Max Weber
3. ‘Sociology may be defined as a body of knowledge about human relationships. -
J.F. Cuber’
4. Sociology is a body of learning about society. It is a description of ways to make
society better. It is a social ethics, a social philosophy. Generally, however it is
defined as a science of society. –W.F. Ogburn
Sociology is a science of society of social relationship, study of social life, study of human
behaviour in group, study of social action, forms of social relationship, social groups or social
system.

On the basis of these definitions we may conclude the science of society and society is the web
of social relationship. Thus, sociology is the science which studies the social relationships that
happen in the process of interaction and interrelation among individuals in social groups.
Therefore, forms of social relationship is the subject matter of society.

To distinguish between Sociology and other social sciences it is always better to know several
important points .

Natural vs. Social Sciences

According to earlier definition of Sociology it is described that sociology is the scientific study
of society and influence on human behavior. In general what is meant by science here is, a set
of systematic methods used to study the social and natural worlds. Science is also the
knowledge obtained by those methods. And this method should be referred to scientific
method. This is a standard sequence of steps in formulating and answering questions. (Asking
a Question, Identifying Important Factors, Formulating a Hypothesis, Collecting Relevant
Information, Testing the Hypothesis)

Thus, Sociology uses these standard methods to study society and human behavior in groups
in that society.

There are certain goals that scientific inquiry has that define it as a discipline

a. ) The first goal of science is to explain why something happens.

b .) The second goal is to make generalizations – to go beyond the individual case and
make statements that apply to a broader group or situation. To achieve generalizations,
scientists of all types look for patterns, reoccurring characteristics or events.

c. ) The third goal is to predict, to specify what will happen in the future in the light of
current knowledge.

There are two disciplines and there is a divide in science between the Natural and Social
Sciences.

a. The Natural Sciences are disciplines designed to understand, explain, and predict events in
our natural environment. These disciplines are divided into specialized fields based on what
they are studying. For example, biology, chemistry, physics, etc… These are also divided into
even narrower fields. Each of these areas of investigation examines a particular slice of nature.

b. The Social Sciences, on the other hand, focus on the social world - they examine human
relationships. Like the natural sciences, social science attempts to be objective when looking
for patterns and relationships that arise between people in society. The social sciences are also
divided into specialized fields like psychology, economics, political science, etc…
1.1) What is Economics?
As per the Oxford Dictionary, Economics is the part of information worried about the
creation, utilization, and exchange of riches and is the state of a district or gathering as
respects material success. Not at all like other sociologies which portray how
individuals will act, financial model depends on the presumption that individuals are
judicious (with very much arranged inclination), need to augment something (like
benefit or fulfillment), and they do their best with the end goal to accomplish these
means,1 in this way guaranteeing welfare of the general public all in all. There are two
branches in financial aspects: Normative Economics which manages things as they
should be founded on esteem judgment though Positive Economics manages things as
they really are i.e. not at all like Normative Economics which manage optimistic
perspective of thing, it depends on sensible perspective of thing. To the extent society
and its working is worried in which individuals live and works, it dependent on positive
part of financial aspects. Financial aspects likewise manages how individuals designate
their rare assets for addressing diverse requirements. For e.g. A man having particular
some of cash wish to purchase those merchandise which fulfill his needs. There are two
parts of financial .matters which are Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. As
indicated by Professor Ackley," Macroeconomics2 manages monetary issues 'in the
huge, it concerns the general components of financial life. It takes a gander at the
aggregate size and shape and working of the 'elephant' of monetary experience, as
opposed to working of explanation or measurements of the individual parts, It examines
the character of the woods, freely of the trees which it creates of."3 Whereas
Microeconomics4 is worried about basic leadership by individual financial operators,
for example, firms and consumers5, i.e. it examines individual as opposed to the general
public in general.

1
Wessels, Walter J. Economics. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 2006.
Print.
2
From the Greek word makros, meaning large.
3
Ackley, Gardner. Macroeconomic Theory, 15th ed. Michigan: Collier-Macmillan,
1961. Print
4
From the Greek word micros, meaning small.
5
Dilts, David A. Introduction to Microeconomics, E201. 1995. Fort Wayne:
Indiana – Purdue University – Fort Wayne, 2004. Print.
2) Inter-disciplinary approach between Sociology and Economics

The topic of Economics and human science has a heightening co-connection with one another
and are considered as the reliant bit of sociology, however these subjects are examined freely
with regards to instructing attributable to their extending degree in their individual fields.
There is interest for division of concentrate relating with the diverse names-Sociology and
Economics since there are arranges in the amassing and understanding of learning of the
general public which calls for separated technique and correlative processes.6However, they
ought not be viewed as the opponent subjects but rather reciprocal and reliant subjects. The
assumption that there is unique require the intervention and mollification among human
science and financial matters settles upon the inability to see that after monetary wonders are
deciphered, just a single of numerous components in social responses is in this way around
explained.7 For e.g. On the off chance that we consider the debate emerging in the social
foundation, say family, we locate a profound bond associating it with financial aspects. The
property question between the guardians and their child is an average case of how the stressing
of social connection between the dad and the child is a result of monetary needs.

2.1) Historical Development of the relation between Sociology and Economics

Economic sociology had undergone a revival from the year 1980. Sociologists have always
studied aspects of economic behavior, but in the middle decades of the twentieth century, the
social scientist adhered to the Parsonsian division of the world into, mainly society, economy,
polity and culture and each were studied as a separate discipline. The study of society became
restricted to sociology whereas economist studied the economic behaviour and the institutions.
This division was followed by many predicaments in the study of the two disciplines as a result

6
Small, Albion W.” The Relation of Sociology to Economics.” Journal of Political
Economy 3. 2 (1895), 169-184. Print.
7
Ibid.
of which sociologist began studying economic institution and their behaviour and economist
began studying social behaviour in the society.

Sociologists felt the need to study economic behaviour since they were dissatisfied with the
negation of economist’s study about social factors which prevented them from predicting
people’s economic decision. For e.g. if a child has a very large bucks of money in his pocket,
he often does not spend the entire money on buying different goods just out of interest although
human wants are unlimited. It is because a child has learned values from his parents not to
spend on unnecessary items and not to incur wasteful expenditure. These values guide the
economic activities of a child and studying the economic expenditure in the market with taking
into account the social values and customs debars the complete study of the causes of economic
expenditure in the economy. Hence, Sociologist saw economic behaviour as an additional
example of social behaviour and is shaped by the same forces by which social behaviour is
directed, including societal conventions, power forces, and value system.

2.2) Definitions given by different economist and their relation to sociology

According to A.C. Pigou,

”Economics studies that pat of social welfare which can be brought directly or indirectly into
relationship with the measuring rod of money.”8
Here, instead of taking individualistic needs and concerns, he is concerned with the society as
a whole which is the basis of the subject of Sociology. Here, he opines that social relations are
formed due to the presence of wealth and this has very much relevance in present scenario. If
we look at societal relations, we observe that in most of the cases, a rich wish to interact and
spend time with rich people only and seem to ignore the presence of the poor. Moreover, the
rich people often feel superior over the poor owing to large chunks of money which they
possess due to which they fulfill their material needs by buying both cheaper and expensive
commodities. In addition, the poor people often feel uncomfortable while interacting with the
rich people and develop a feeling of inferiority owing to lack of resources. Hence, Money
aspect of economics tends to affect the formation of social groups in the society.

8
Chopra, P.N. Micro Economics. Noida: Kalyani Publishers, 2005. Print.
John Stuart Mill (1844) defines the subject of economics in a social context as:-

“The science which traces the laws of such of the phenomena of society as arise from the
combined operations of mankind for the production of wealth, in so far as those phenomena
are not modified by the pursuit of any other object.”

Clearly, the concept of societal effect on the economic activities is reflected in the above
definition and the laws of nature prevalent in the society which form the basis for the production
of economic output.

According to Alfred Marshall, who was a neo-classical economist, he says:-

“Economics is the study of mankind in the ordinary business of life; it examines that part of
individual and social action which is most closely connected with the use and attainment of
material requisites of well-being.”9
This shows that the Economics is concerned with the study of man and deals with their
activities in the social setup i.e. study the activities of human being in the social setup. It is the
study of man in one hand and social organization of economic activities on the other hand.10 He
developed an original view of the relation between individuality and societal aspect by saying
that,” Perhaps the earlier English Economists confined their attention too much to the motives
of individual action. But in fact economists, like all other students of social science, are
concerned with individuals chiefly as members of the social organism. As a cathedral is
something more than the stones of which it is made, as a person is something more than a
series of thoughts and feelings, so the life of society is something more than the sum of lives
of its individual members. It is true that the action of the whole is made up of that of its
constituent parts; and that in most economic problems the best starting-point is to be found in
the motives that affect the individual, regarded not indeed as an isolated atom, but as a member
of some particular trade or industrial group.”11 While including the welfare of the society as a
whole, he is rejecting a way of characterizing society as set of isolated and competitive
individuals which presupposes the human interaction to take place in the society for people to
not have any clashes of interest.

9
Marshall, Alfred. Principle of Economics. 1890. London: Macmillan and Co.,
Ltd., 1920. Print.
10
Chopra, P.N. Micro Economics. Noida: Kalyani Publishers, 2005. Print.
11
Marshall, Alfred. Principles of Economics- An Introductory volume, 7th ed.
Sir James Steuart (1767) is the premier English economist to use the concept of ‘political
economy’ by saying that,

‘Oeconomy in general, is the art of providing for all the wants of the family’, so the science of
political economy seeks ‘to secure a certain fund of subsistence for all the inhabitants, to
obviate every circumstance which may render it precarious; to provide everything necessary
for supplying the wants of the society, and to employ the inhabitants… in such a manner as
naturally to create reciprocal relations and dependencies between them, so as to make their
several interests lead them to supply one another.’12
He introduced many essential elements of society such as family, population, social interaction,
exchange, etc. which is a subject matter of sociology. Hence, the relation between Economics
and Sociology seems well established.

2.3) Definitions given by Sociologists and their relation to Economics

Max Weber defines sociology as

“The science which attempts the interpretative understanding of social action in order thereby
to arrive at a casual explanation of its cause and effects.”13
It deals with cause and effect principle which is commonly found in Economics and the various
policies related to it. There are many causes that lead to different societal effects. For e.g. The
French Revolution which took place evolved due to the atrocities and injustices faced by
Russians leading to poor economic welfare and also due to sprouting up of the notion in the
minds of the people about the notion of blaming humans for everything injurious they suffered
and not finding out probable reason for the same. Thus, the given revolution was a result of
economic and behavioral i.e. sociological aspect and both are interconnected to each other
leading to a common effect i.e. revolution.

Morris Ginsberg defines sociology in the following way:-

12
Steuart, J. 1767- An Inquiry into the Principles of Political Economy.Ed. A.S.
Skinner, Edinburgh and London: Oliver & Boyd for the Scottish Economic
Society, 1966. Print.
13
Chopra, J.K. Sociology. New Delhi: Unique Publishers (1) Pvt. Ltd., 2013.
Print.
“In the broadest sense, sociology is the study of human interactions and inter-relations, their
conditions and consequences”14
There are many factors that govern this interaction which includes emotional, behavioral, as
well as economic factors. For e.g. Parents fulfill all the economic needs of their children (till
the time he is competent and able to earn money) in a family i.e. social institution, by making
available all the necessary goods and services for their children. Further, a man often looks
after all the material needs of her wife which becomes the part of social interaction. Hence,
these social interactions include the economic aspect which is of prime importance.

2.4) Societal Forces shaping Economic behaviour

2.4.1) Power

Power plays a very important role in structuring economic policies, as when a powerful firm
dictates its powers over the weaker suppliers, and indirectly when a well flourished industries
shapes regulation to its own advantage. Karl Marx explained the concept of ‘Primitive
Communism’, wherein the people survived by indulging in primitive means of getting food
like hunting and all the people lived with equality and peace in a community. But with
expansion of society and ownership of private land, the clashes between the rich and the poor
arose wherein the rich people often encroached upon poor’s rights because of the power they
processed, by denying the poor’s access to the economic resources, leading to the concept of
‘Might is Right’ and the formation of two groups in society-rich and poor. Then, the concept
of feudalism arose in which feudal lords (ministers of the King) exploited the surfs (poor people
owing small plots of lands) by levying very high taxes on their land and through military
control, they created fear in the minds of the poor people to obey their orders. In the later phase,
Capitalism arose in which the industrialist exploited the working class people through the
economic power they processed and the concept of ‘laissez-faire’ arose, wherein the state won’t
look after the economic needs of the people which lead to burgeoning exploitation of the poor
by the rich since there was no governing body to look after whether there was equal pay for
equal work followed by the rich. This further lead to greater societal clashes between the rich
and the poor i.e. class antagonism and increased the hostilities against the state by the poor.

14
Ibid.
These events show how societal forces like power shaped the economic policies in a given
society. Even if we look at the present scenario, we find that a powerful person is highly
venerated in the society without they themselves asking for such a respect. A common man, on
meeting with a civil servant, Police , Rich businessman and other powerful people of the society
tends to talk to them in a pleasant manner and do not show any rudeness because of the
economic and political power they possess.

2.4.2) Institution

Social Institutions shape economic processes and action by putting up constraints (regulatory
institutions) and by establishing behavioral i.e. conventions. The economic needs of the society
are generally met through social institutions. These institutions include the economic a
governmental systems which are concerned with food supply, property, class and law system.
State is also a social institution which has been created to safeguard the interest of its people
through the formation of the government, which also includes economic needs of the people.
The recent National Food Security Act, 2013 passed by the Parliament in India is a push to
meet the economic needs of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) people, living both in rural (75%)
as well as urban areas (50%), by providing food grains i.e. rice, wheat and coarse grain at the
price of Rs.3, Rs.2 and Rs.1 respectively.

Karl Marx gave the concept of Welfare State by talking about the need for the state to interfere
in people’s economic activities to ensure their economic needs are fulfilled. He explained social
institutions like Feudalism, Capitalism and Socialism. Even, Law is a social institution i.e.
evolved from the society to curb the escalating crimes in the society and to enforce punishment
in the form of compensation and imprisonment for those who do not obey the laws. Besides,
any economic disputes that arise due to breach of contract, breach of arbitration clause between
the companies is to be safeguarded by the law in most of the cases. Family institution teaches
us how to distribute wealth among its members and the concept of who will spend wealth to
meet the economic needs of the family. For e.g. In most of the families, it is the male person
who is the head of the family and looks after the economic needs of his wife, children, etc.,
thereby participating in the market forces by allocating resources and spending wealth.

2.5) Common Issues concerning both Sociology and Economics

2.5.1) Unemployment

The problem of unemployment is generally defined as economic problem which has its root in
sociology as well. The reasons for unemployment in India is due to the increasing population
of the country and rate at which it’s increasing has surpassed the rate at which jobs are created,
due to which many people in India are left jobless an d are unhappy in the society. It is also
leading to declining welfare and human resource in the country.

2.5.2) Child Labor

Child Labor has become a common dismal practice in many developing countries like India
wherein thousands of minors are made to work and are therefore devoid of education, health
facilities, leisure activities, and basic freedoms, violating their rights. Most often, it is not the
children who decide to start working instead of going to schools but there are a host of other
socioeconomic factors primarily related to their families or households, to be more specific,
that escort them to work.15 . Moreover, these children generally do not get paid for the work
they have been put in by their families,16 which is a social institution. In most of the families
in rural areas, children are often made to engage in agricultural activities and in urban areas,
poor families are often send their female child to work as servants in domestic household,
feeling them as a burden and thus ignoring them. Thus, the cause of child labor is poor
economic resources which force the parents to send their children for work.

3) Conclusion
The relation of sociology with economics has been extensively proved, showing how society
is greatly influenced by economic factors and how economic processes are determined by
social environment. The conflicts and hatred among the people in the society has its deep route
in economics such as the property conflicts between the parents and their son. It has been

15
Siddiqi, Ahmed F. “Important Determinants of Child Labor: A Case Study for
Lahore.” American Journal of Economics and Sociology 72. 1 (2013): 199–221.
Print.
16
Ibid.
proved that economic phenomena has been constantly determined by numerous social needs
and social status such as excessive spending on goods and resources in order to raise one’s
status in the society. For e.g. rich people often buy many luxurious goods for showing off about
their superiority in terms of wealth over other individuals.

If one observes different kind of individual social life such as type of his family, education,
authority, marriage, structure, etc. one could find their importance in economic factors like
family expenditure, credit facilities, expenditure at the time of marriage, etc. It is the economic
factor which influences the individual’s life style and needs. The historical development shows
how the inter-relation between sociology and economics has increases, since many people
found it difficult to study sociology and economics as a separate identity and by studying one
subject individually, one tends to leave many aspects of it owing to its relation with other
subject. Different economists have given their own definitions of economics which finds very
deep relation with sociology and vice versa. Apart from these, there are many societal forces
which govern economic behaviour like Power and Social Institutions. The economic needs of
the society are generally met through social institutions. Thus, the two subjects are
complementary to each other and it is difficult, rather impossible, to study one subject by
leaving the other. However, in some of the cases, economics does share its aspects with
sociology, owing to excessive dealing of it with only material goods and material welfare, but
still sociology and economics are deeply rooted together.

4. BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS:

1. Sherif&Sherif , Interdisciplinary Relationship Between

Social Sciences
2. Kuhn, Varieties of Interdisciplinary Approaches In The
Social Sciences

INTERNET MATERIAL:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_sociology

2. www.britannica.com

3. www.jstor.org