In recent years, a number of introductory textbooks on economic sociology have been published in the Federal Republic of Germany. This is encouraging, as this essential area had previously not been prepared for study. With the present volume, the author does not intend to compete with the already published works but rather to offer a complement and rounding out. It may even be beneficial to read other introductions beforehand. The focus here is on the development of systematic-theoretical questions and the categorization of economic sociological problems. In this sense, the title of the book "Introduction to the Sociology of the Economy" should be taken literally: it is not yet economic sociology itself, but merely an introduction to it.