Sociologists have tended to assume that although rational-choice theory may be appropriate for the analysis of Gesellschaften, it is inadequate for the analysis of Gemeinschaften. Taking this assumption as its point of departure, this article shows that a theory of group solidarity built on rational-choice premises provides a superior account of the differential success of nineteenth-century American intentional communities (which are taken to be exemplary Gemeinschaften) than does the conventional sociological account.
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