Eliot Freidson has written the first systematic account of professionalism as a method of organizing work. In ideal--typical professionalism, specialized workers control their own work, while in the free market consumers are in command,...

This new work explores the meaning and implications of professionalism as a form of social organization. Eliot Freidson formalizes professionalism by treating it as an ideal type grounded in the political economy; he presents the concept...