Winner of the 2018 Joseph B. Gittler Award, American Philosophical Association This book is therefore a refreshing contribution to the social ontology landscape. By synthesizing contemporary game theory, economics, and sociology with recent philosophical work, it articulates a viable alternative to the dominant accounts of social ontology.
-Mark Risjord, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews This is a lively ... Read morework with many engaging arguments. . . . The book remains important and deserving of attention in the social ontology debates. While it is not written as a textbook, it would be very useful in the classroom. The lively prose is organized into compact chapters that close with recommended readings. Engaging this book with a group of graduate or advanced undergraduate students would be rewarding for all.
-Mark Risjord, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Guala's book is very clearly written and well-structured. Its accessible prose makes it ideal as an introductory text. By reviewing several complex problems and offering solutions it will help further constructive debate and theoretical development. . . . [Guala] consolidates an important argument and raises additional questions that help us to move further forward. This is a great book, which should be read by every social scientist who wants to understand institutions.
-Geoffrey M. Hodgson, Journal of Economic Methodology The book by Francesco Guala on Understanding Institutions is extremely valuable. It makes a major contribution to our understanding of what institutions are, and it carries important implications for future institutional research. . . . This is a great book, which should be read by every social scientist who wants to understand institutions.
-Geoffrey Hodgson, Journal of Economic Methodology In this complex and sophisticated book, the unified view of institutions is original because it bridges two views that have been considered to be incompatible. Moreover, the unified view is linked with other key issues in the philosophy of social sciences. With its enormous scope, it will appeal to specialists in the philosophy of social sciences, as well as such social science practitioners as economists and theoretical sociologists.
Jack Vromen, Erasmus University Rotterdam This valuable and beautifully structured book reviews and explains the key idea of correlated equilibria and also offers a novel theoretical synthesis. Clearly written, but even better, clearly conceived, this book is a winner on many levels.
Stephen Turner, University of South Florida Show Less