Prof. Dr. Jens Beckert
Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG)
Research Interests
- Role of the economy in society, especially based on studies of markets
- Organizational sociology
- Wealth inequality and inheritance
- Sociological theory
Current Work
- Imagined futures: The role of expectations in economic action
- Sociology of markets
- Wealth inequality and inheritance
- Climate Change
Vita
Born July 21, 1967, in Frankfurt a.M.
Education and Professional History
| since 2005 | Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne |
| since 2020 | Member of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Cologne |
| since 2005 | Member of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Cologne |
| 2003–2005 | Professor of Sociology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen |
| 2003 | Habilitation; Venia Legendi in Sociology, Freie Universität Berlin; "Unearned Wealth. A Comparative Sociology of Inheritance Law" |
| 2002–2003 | Associate Professor of Sociology, International University Bremen |
| 2001–2002 | John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow, Harvard University, Center for European Studies, Cambridge MA |
| 1999–2001 | Research Fellow of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Freie Universit Berlin |
| 1996 | Dr. phil. in Sociology, Freie Universität Berlin; "Cooperation, Uncertainty, Innovation. Action-theoretic Preconditions for the Explanation of Economic Efficiency" |
| 1994–1995 | Visiting Research Fellow Princeton University Department of Sociology NJ |
| 1993–1999 | Junior Faculty Member (Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter), John F. Kennedy Institute, Freie Universität Berlin |
| 1993 | Master of Business Administration (Dipl.-Kfm.), Freie Universität Berlin |
| 1991 | M.A. in Sociology, New School for Social Research, New York |
| 1986 | Abitur (University Entrance Qualification), Albert Schweitzer Gymnasium, Offenbach a.M. |
Selected Honors
| 2021 | Member of the Academia Europaea / The Academy of Europe |
| 2018 | "Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz"-Prize of the German Research Foundation (DFG) |
| 2010 | Appointed member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities |
| 2005 | Prize of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities - donated by the Commerzbank Foundation - |
| 2000–2005 | Appointed Member of the "Junge Akademie" at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities |
| 1987 | Fellow of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German National Scholarship Foundation) |
Awards for Publications
| 2024 | Nominated for the German Non-Fiction Prize for "Verkaufte Zukunft: Warum der Kampf gegen den Klimawandel zu scheitern droht" (Suhrkamp 2024) |
| 2024 | Nominated for the Leipzig Book Fair Prize in the category non-fiction/essay for "Verkaufte Zukunft: Warum der Kampf gegen den Klimawandel zu scheitern droht" (Suhrkamp 2024) |
| 2018 | Karl Polanyi Prize of the Economic Sociology Section of the German Sociological Association (DGS). Award for "Imagined Futures – Fictional Expectations and Capitalist Dynamics" (Harvard University Press, 2016) |
| 2017 | Finalist for the George R. Terry Award 2017 of the Academy of Management: Beckert, Jens, 2016: Imagined Futures. Fictional Expectations and Capitalist Dynamics (Cambridge: HUP) |
| 2017 | Honorable Mention of Beckert, Jens, 2016: Imagined Futures. Fictional Expectations and Capitalist Dynamics (Cambridge: HUP) for the 2017 Zelizer Award for Best Book in Economic Sociology |
| 2015 | 2nd Prize of the Fritz Thyssen Foundation for articles in the social sciences of the year 2014 for: Akyel, Dominic/Jens Beckert: Pietät und Profit - Kultureller Wandel und Marktentstehung am Beispiel des Bestattungsmarktes. In: KZfSS 66, 425–444 |
| 2008 | 1st Prize of the Fritz Thyssen Foundation for articles in the social sciences of the year 2007: Beckert, Jens/Mark Lutter: Wer spielt, hat schon verloren? Zur Erklärung des Nachfrageverhaltens auf dem Lottomarkt. In: KZfSS 59, 240–270 |
| 2005 | Best Law Book of the Year: Jens Beckert "Unverdientes Vermögen". Frankfurt: Campus 2004. In: Neue Juristische Wochenschrift 46/2005 |
Visiting Appointments
| 09/2019–05/2020 | Theodor-Heuß-Professor, New School for Social Research, New York |
| 09/2018 | Fellow, Institut d'Études Avancées (IEA), Paris |
| 09/2015–06/2016 | Sciences Po, MaxPo and Centre de Sociologie des Organisations (CSO), Paris |
| 10/2012–06/2013 | Fellow, Institut d'Études Avancées (IEA), Paris/France |
| 11/2008–01/2009 | Visiting Researcher, Sciences Po, Centre de Sociologie des Organisations (CSO), Paris/France |
| 10/2007–01/2008 | Fernand Braudel Fellow, European University Institute, Florence/Italy |
| 04/2007 | Luigi Einaudi Chair, Cornell University, New York |
| 09/2001–06/2002 | John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow, Harvard University, Center for European Studies, Cambridge, MA |
| 09/1994–06/1995 | Visiting Research Fellow, Princeton University, Department of Sociology, Princeton NJ |
Editorships
| since 2019 | Historical Social Research, Consulting Editor |
| since 2010 | European Journal of Sociology, Co-editor |
| since 2010 | Socio-Economic Review, Editorial Board |
| since 1999 | Economic Sociology - European Electronic Newsletter, Editorial Board |
| since 2006 | Geschichte und Gesellschaft. Zeitschrift für Historische Sozialwissenschaft, Editorial Board |
| since 2007 | Reihe Theorie und Gesellschaft (Campus Verlag), Co-editor |