Arguing confidently, Luhmann first defines what he sees as the task of an administrative organisation: the production of binding decisions. He then turns to the essential challenge that such a social system faces: the management of its own boundaries. Using some system-theoretical terminology and enriching the text with his own practical experiences, he shows how administrations balance the different expectations of their environments in such a way that their boundaries remain stable and their structures functional. Even almost 60 years after it was written, The Limits of Administration proves to be a highly original approach to administration – the backbone of modern society.
»His preoccupation with administration gave rise not only to his fabulous sociology of organisation ... but also the development of the central concepts of his social theory: system, expectations, structure.« Jürgen Kaube, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
»The birth of systems theory from the spirit of bureaucracy. The master himself appears convinced of the scope of his method even then …« Marianna Lieder, Welt am Sonntag
»His preoccupation with administration gave rise not only to his fabulous sociology of organisation ... but also the development of the central concepts of his social theory: system, expectations, structure.« Jürgen...
Persons
Niklas Luhmann
Niklas Luhmann (1927–1998) was professor of sociology at the University of Bielefeld and a major social theorist. As the most prominent German proponent of sociological systems theory, his work has become one of the key contributions to 20th-century sociology.
Niklas Luhmann (1927–1998) was professor of sociology at the University of Bielefeld and a major social theorist. As the most prominent...
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Sociology Among Attendees
A Systems Theory of Society
»Theme: theory of society; duration: 30 years; costs: none« – so ran Niklas Luhman’s infamous answer at the end of the 1960s in regard to his research project. The...
Korea (Saemulgyul)
The New Boss
Every organisation, as stolid as it may be, experiences a certain shock when a new manager or director is about to take over. Water cooler gossip increases, every advance in knowledge is...
English world rights (Polity), Netherlands (Boom), Korea (Theorie Publishing), Turkey (VakifBank)
Contingency and the Law
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Spanish world rights (Trotta)
Power in the System
Spanish world rights (Herder)
Political Sociology
Korea (Ghil); previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Spanish world rights (Trotta)
Love
English world rights (Polity), France (Diaphanes), Korea (Theorie Publishing)
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Spanish rights / Latin America (Prometeo), Chinese complex rights (Wu-Nan), Italy (MIM), Turkey (Edebi)
The Morals of Society
Poland (selection; Academicon); previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Spanish world rights (Trotta), Japan (Keiso Shobo)
A Systems Theory of Religion
The classics of sociology had regarded the sociology of religion a vital part of social theory; also, and especially, when faced with modern society, supposedly created so far removed from...
English world rights (Stanford UP), Spanish world rights (Trotta), Italy (Franco Angeli), Korea (Theorie Publishing), Czech Republic (Karolinum); previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Chinese complex rights (Business Weekly), Japan (Hosei UP)
Theory of Society
English world rights (Stanford UP), Spanish world rights (Herder), Chinese simplex rights (The Commercial Press), France (Exils), Italy (Quodlibet), Denmark (Reitzels), Korea (Saemulgyul), Japan (Hosei UP), Estonia (Eksa); previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Russia (Logos), Croatia (Breza)
Art as a Social System
Under the title Art as a Social System, this book offers a series of publications that serve the elaboration of a theory of society. The entire undertaking – Theory of Society...
English world rights (Stanford UP), Korea (Hangilsa)
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Spanish world rights (Herder), Chinese complex rights (Wu-Nan), Italy (MIM), Japan (Hosei UP)
Law as a Social System
English world rights (Oxford UP), Spanish world rights (Herder), Chinese simplex rights (The Commercial Press), Chinese complex rights (Wu-Nan), France (Pu Laval), Korea (Saemulgyul), Japan (Hosei UP), Czech Republic (Stredisko); previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Brazilian Portuguese rights (Martins Editora), Italy (Giappichelli), Croatia (Breza)
Love as Passion
He argues that, while family systems remained intact in the transition from traditional to modern societies, a semantics for love developed to accommodate extra-marital relationships; this...
English world rights (Polity), Chinese simplex rights (East China Normal UP), Chinese complex rights (Wu-Nan), France (Aubier Montaigne / Flammarion), Korea (Saemulgyul), Turkey (Livera)
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Spanish world rights (Peninsula), Portuguese rights (Difel), Italy (Pearson), Sweden (Liber AB), Japan (Bokutakusha), Poland (Scholar), Czech Republic (Prostor), Hungary (Joszöveg Mühely), Romania (Tact), Croatia (Naklada MD), Serbia (Zoran Stojanovic), Slovenia (Krtina)