Economy is not one "natural" thing; it is always plural and socially constructed. Polanyi tought us that it was a mistake to see the economy as independent from society, as a selfregulating market. He insisted on the presence of different economic principles (market, redistribution, reciprocity) in concrete human economies. As for Mauss, he taught us that progress does not lie in seeking to rep...

Abstract This introduction presents the theoretical framework, aims, and summary of this special issue. We want to explain European Union’s (EU) response COVID crisis from a ‘polity perspective’ (Kriesi 2021; Ferrera 2005). conceptualize EU as compound ‘experimental’ polity which develops along three dimensions: binding (capacity building sovereignty), bounding (bordering), bonding (solidarity ...

By using the classic works of Durkheim as a theoretical platform, this research explores the relationship between legal systems and social solidarity. We found that certain types of civil law system, most notably those of Scandinavia, are associated with higher levels of social capital and better welfare state provision. However, we found the relationship between legal system and societal outco...