The question whether a „new spirit of capitalism“ exists and how it is related to self regulation and management in the global economy served as a starting point for this international conference. The title includes a reference to a famous study by sociologist Max Weber and his works served as a point of reference throughout the conference (in 2014, we commemorated Weber's 150 birthday).

Panelists presented their current empirical studies on different varieties of modern capitalism, discussed the hypothesis of the emergence of a new, global elite of leaders, asked whether neoliberal concepts will continue to dominate management approaches globally and drew conclusions from empirical results for the theory of globalization and capitalism.

The conference was organized by the Max-Weber-Institute of Sociology in cooperation with the Cluster of Excellence „Asia and Europe in a Global Context“ and was supported by the Heidelberg University's Field of Focus 4 „Self-Regulation and Regulation: Individuals and Societies“.

Press release (in German): Der Nationalökonom Max Weber und der „neue Geist des Kapitalismus“, 09.12.2014

Impressions

 

Program

Friday, 12 December 2014

13:00 Markus Pohlmann, Heidelberg University
Conference opening: welcome address

Session 1: Max Weber, the Spirit of Capitalism and Beyond

Chair: Lim, Hyun-Chin

13:15 Wolfgang Schluchter, Heidelberg University
Opening statement: Max Weber: The Spirit of Capitalism and the New Economic Sociology

14:00 Markus Pohlmann, Heidelberg University
The New Spirit of Capitalism - Collective Mindsets of Top Managers Compared

14:45 Paul Windolf, Trier University
Entrepreneurs, managers, investors: Who rules the economy?

15:30 Coffee Break

Chair: Chon, Song-U

16:00 Lim, Hyun-Chin, Seoul National University & Hwang, Suk-man, Changwon University, South Korea
From Weber to Confucius: The Changing Nature of Capitalism in Asia

16:45 Frank Welz, University of Innsbruck, Austria
From Weber to Schütz: The Spirit of Capitalism and the Lifeworld Theory today

17:30 Jeon, Tae-Kook, Kangwon National University, South Korea
The Spirit of Capitalism and the Sociology of Knowledge

20:00 Dinner

 

Saturday, 13 December 2014

09:00 Conference opening

Session 2: Self Regulation and The Lifeworlds of Global Capitalism

Chair: Wolfgang Schluchter

09:15 Friederike Elias, Heidelberg University
Life Maxims of Managers in Argentina: Traditional or Neoliberal?

10:00 Reinhard Bachmann, SOAS, UK
Trust in Economic Relations and the Spirit of Capitalism

10:45 Coffee Break

11:15 Yang, Jonghoe, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
The Culture of Global Capitalism: A Case of Korean Wave

12:00 Chon, Song-U, Hanyang University, South Korea
Protestantism and the Modernization Process of South Korean Society: The Weber Thesis revisited

12:45 Lunch Break

Session 3: The Transcultural Spirit and the Diffusion of Management Concepts

Chair: Gert Schmidt

14:00 Volker Helbig, Heidelberg University
Promoting Neoliberalism? The Spirit of Business Magazines

14:45 YuanYuan Liu, Heidelberg University
Management Concepts in Chinese Enterprises

15:30 Coffee Break

16:00 Paulo Costa, UFPR, Brazil
The Spirit of Entrepreneurial Politics in Brazil

16:45 Jaok Kwon, Heidelberg University
The Spirit of Management in Japan: Recruitment and Career Patterns of Business Elites in a Globalized Economy

19:30 Gert Schmidt, emeritus at the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
Keynote Speech: Max Weber and Capitalism today

 

Sunday, 14 December 2014

08:45 Conference opening

Session 4: Corporate Governance and Corporate Politics

Chair: Subrata K. Mitra

09:00 Amit Prakash, Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi
Opening Statement: Capital Accumulation in Differentiated Societies

09:15 Jivanta Schöttli, Heidelberg University
Corporate Governance and Business Structures in India

10:00 Renato Perissinotto, UFPR, Brazil
New developmentalism: a new spirit of capitalism in present Brazil?

10:45 Coffee Break

Chair: Sergio Duarte

11:15 Wagner Pralon Mancuso, USP, Brazil
Business and politics in contemporary Brazil: Toward a new “spirit” in the interaction between the state and the market?

12:00 Xiuyin Shi, CASS, China
The Spirit of Capitalism in China

12:45 Lunch Break

14:00 Gary Herrigel, Chicago University, USA
Convergence and Varieties of Capitalism

15:00 Markus Pohlmann, Heidelberg University
Concluding Remarks

12–14 December 2014

Karl Jaspers Centre for Advanced Transcultural Studies, Voßstraße 2, 69115 Heidelberg, Room 212

Hosted by
Prof. Dr. Markus Pohlmann

Flyer

Poster