TY - JOUR AU - Saks, Mike AU - Adams, Tracey L. PY - 2019/08/13 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Neo-Weberianism, Professional Formation and the State: Inside the Black Box JF - Professions and Professionalism JA - P&P VL - 9 IS - 2 SE - Articles DO - 10.7577/pp.3190 UR - https://journals.oslomet.no/index.php/pp/article/view/3190 SP - AB - <p>This paper outlines a neo-Weberian approach to state-sponsored social closure in professional formation. Despite its advantages, state decision-making is not typically well-defined or examined in neo-Weberian analyses. Neo-Weberianism is differentiated from Max Weber’s own work on social action and rationality, which generally provides a more subtle interpretation of state socio-political processes. The paper explores how policy formation can be more incisively analyzed inside the black box of state decision-making from a Weberian perspective. This is exemplified by the passage of the 1858 Medical Act in the United Kingdom establishing the state-supported medical profession. While further work is necessary in filling in the black box, this paper charts an important future path for neo-Weberian analyses of professions, and their relationship with the state.</p> ER -