Blau, Peter M(ichael) (1918-2002)

Austrian-born sociologist. Blau emigrated to the USA in 1939. A specialist in organizational and social structure, particularly bureaucracy, his work has shown how a system of reciprocation and obligation can create social bonding and how less formal controls can increase involvement in decision-making. His works include Exchange and Power in Social Life (1964), The American Occupational Structure (1967), and On the Nature of Organizations (1974). He has taught at the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and the University of North Carolina.