Bio: (1925-1982) American sociologist. Richard Emerson is best known for studying power relations in society and for developing the social exchange theory. Emerson, along with Blau and Homans, developed a theoretical approach known as the social exchange theory in the 1960s. Emerson sought to challenge the dominant view of power in the social sciences, the view that power is possessed by individuals and institutions that control the most important resources. He believed that power lies in the very relationship between individuals and institutions, therefore, that power is a relational phenomenon. The power of one person over another person is commensurate with the level to which the other person depends on the resources that the first person possesses. To define such a view of power, Emerson introduces the notion of "power-dependence relations." Such power relations are always manifested within the network of human relations. Using the concept of the power-dependence relations, and within the theoretical framework of the social exchange theory, Emerson studied the issues of coalition building, social cohesion, commitment, trust, and solidarity.

Main works

„Power-Dependence Relations”, in American Sociological Review (1962);

„Power-Dependence Relations: Two Experiments”, in Sociometry (1964); 

„Exchange Theory: Part I: A Psychological Basis for Social Exchange”, and „Exchange Theory: Part II: Exchange Relations and Networks”, in Sociological Theories in Progress Joseph Berger (ed.) (1972).