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Al­ex­an­der Dobe­son

Tenure Track Assistant Professor

Subjects
Qualitative methods Environment Culture Society Moral Sociology

Primary research areas

Eco­nom­ic so­ci­ology (cul­ture and eco­nomy)
So­ci­ology of mar­kets (mar­kets and mor­al­ity)
So­ci­ology of valu­ation (val­ues and value con­flicts in so­ci­ety)
So­ci­ology of own­er­ship (land and prop­erty rights)
Com­par­at­ive his­tor­ic­al so­ci­ology (land re­form, co­oper­at­ives, valu­ation meth­od­o­logy)

I ex­pose a neg­lec­ted is­sue: how so­ci­et­ies value land and prop­erty

I study how different conceptions of ownership have evolved and how they shape the ways we value things. My research brings neglected questions about ownership and property to the forefront of societal debate to guide debates on fairness, equity, and sustainability.
- how land and property is valued in both economic and non-economic terms; - how moral understandings of what is valuable shape economic practices;   
- how social movements and political discourses challenge and shape existing regimes of ownership and valuation.  

Before joining MSC, I received my PhD from Uppsala University (Sweden) and held visiting fellowships at the University of Chicago (USA) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (UK).