Episode 17: Specialization and the Division of Labor - A Networked Approach

Throughout the history of civilization, there have been key moments that have defined its rapid growth. From increased output, trade, and technology came the idea of division of labor, or specialization, which allowed for members of society to take up different roles to support the community– creating increased output and greater innovation. However, a question has lingered throughout sociological research– how does specialization emerge from communities engaged in mechanical solidarity? This problem is not simply constrained to history, as the origins of collectively coordinating specialization lends itself to better understanding industrial development in our modern world. To discuss the history of division of labor and specialization, we are joined today by Dr. Emily Erikson, professor of sociology at Yale University and academic director of the Fox International Fellowship. With Dr. Erikson, we discuss her paper titled Network, Property, and the Division of Labor and explore her use of computational and simulation-based methods in considering the effect of different network structures on the propensity for economic producers to develop a complementary division of labor.