Bücher der Reihe Methodos Series

Hierarchy is a form of organisation of complex systems that rely on or produce a strong differentiation in capacity (power and size) between the parts of the system.

This book addresses the challenge of understanding human life. It compares our life experience with the attempts to grasp it by astrologers, eugenicists, psychologists, neuroscientists, social scientists, and philosophers. The main opposition among these specialties lies between understanding and misunderstanding. The book also addresses the central methodological difficulty of capturing a human life.It is first examined how certain approaches may lead to a misunderstanding of human life. The book contrasts the example of astrology-an accepted practice in ancient civilizations, but now classified among the pseudosciences-with astronomy, a full-fledged science since Galileo's time. Another, more recent approach regards human life as predetermined by genes: the methods used by eugenicists, and later by political regimes under the name of hereditarianism, came to compete with genetics. A broader analysis shows how astrology and eugenicism are not truly scientific approaches.Next, the book looks at the ways of capturing an imaginary or real human life story. A comprehensive approach will try to fully understand their complexity, while a more explanatory approach considers only certain specific phenomena of human life. For example, demography studies only births, deaths, and migration. Another crucial factor in the collection of life histories is memory and its transmission. Psychology and psychoanalysis have developed different schools to try to explain them.The book concludes with a detailed discussion of the concepts and tools that have been proposed in more recent times for understanding the various aspects of life stories: mechanisms, systems, hermeneutics, and autonomy.

This book provides an in-depth view on Bourdieüs empirical work, thereby specially focusing on the construction of the social space and including the concept of the habitus. Themes described in the book include amongst others: ¿ the theory and methodology for the construction of ¿social spaces¿, ¿ the relation between various ¿fields¿ and ¿the field of power¿, ¿ formal construction and empirical observation of habitus, ¿ the formation, accumulation, differentiation of and conversion between different forms of capital, ¿ relations in geometric data analysis.The book also includes contributions regarding particular applications of Bourdieüs methodology to traditional andnew areas of research, such as the analysis of institutional, international and transnational fields. It further provides a systematic introduction into the empirical construction of the social space.

This open access book describes how elite studies theoretically and methodologically construct their object, i.e. All sections comprise empirical case studies of elites and power, whereby each of which makes explicit the various methodological choices made in the research process.

This open access book examines the methodological complications of using complexity science concepts within the social science domain.

Second, by identifying different levels as truly different systems of agency: such levels of agency can be examined separately and jointly since the link between them is affiliation of members of one level to collective actors at the superior level.

This book provides an in-depth view on Bourdieu's empirical work, thereby specially focusing on the construction of the social space and including the concept of the habitus. Themes described in the book include amongst others: . the theory and methodology for the construction of "social spaces", . the relation between various "fields" and "the field of power", . formal construction and empirical observation of habitus, . the formation, accumulation, differentiation of and conversion between different forms of capital, . relations in geometric data analysis.The book also includes contributions regarding particular applications of Bourdieu's methodology to traditional and new areas of research, such as the analysis of institutional, international and transnational fields. It further provides a systematic introduction into the empirical construction of the social space.

This book offers practical instruction on the use of audit studies in the social sciences. It features essays from sociologists, economists, and other experts who have employed this powerful and flexible tool. Readers will learn how to implement an audit study to examine a variety of questions in their own research. The essays first discuss situations where audit studies are the most effective. These tools allow researchers to make strong causal claims and explore questions that are often difficult to answer with observational data. Audit studies also stand as the single best way to conduct research on discrimination. The authors highlight what these studies have uncovered about labor market processes in the past decade. The next section gives some guidance on how to design an audit study. The essays cover the difficult task of getting a study through an institutional review board, the technical setup of matching procedures, and statistical power and analysis techniques.  The last part focuses on more advanced aspects. Coverage includes understanding context, what variables may signal, and the use of technology. The book concludes with a discussion of challenges and limitations with an eye towards the future of audit studies.¿Field experiments studying and testing for housing and labor market discrimination have, rightly, become the dominant mode of discrimination-related research in economics and sociology.  This book brings together a number of interesting and useful perspectives on these field experiments. Many different kinds of readers will find it valuable, ranging from those interested in getting an overview of the evidence, to researchers looking for guidance on the nuts and bolts of conducting these complex experiments.¿David Neumark, Chancellor¿s Professor of Economics at the University of California ¿ Irvine¿For decades, researchers have used experimental audit studies to uncover discrimination in a variety of markets. Although this approach has become more popular in recent years, few publications provide detailed information on the design and implementation of the method. This volume provides the first deep examination of the audit method, with details on the practical, political, analytical, and theoretical considerations of this research. Social scientists interested in consuming or contributing to this literature will find this volume immensely useful.¿ Devah Pager, Professor of Sociology and Public Policy at Harvard University

This open access book examines the methodological complications of using complexity science concepts within the social science domain.

This leading-edge study focuses on the latest techniques in analysing and representing the complex, multi-layered data now available to geographers studying urban zones and their populations.

This leading-edge study focuses on the latest techniques in analysing and representing the complex, multi-layered data now available to geographers studying urban zones and their populations.

This book progressively works out a method of constructing models which can bridge the gap between empirical and theoretical research in the social sciences.

Second, by identifying different levels as truly different systems of agency: such levels of agency can be examined separately and jointly since the link between them is affiliation of members of one level to collective actors at the superior level.

This is an attempt to renew our links with the oldest traditions of scholarly thinking, but is also a well-tempered reflection on today's work in objectivization.

Covering the history of thought and the latest methods, this book examines the methodological relationships that probability and statistics have had with the social sciences from their emergence. The scope of discussion ranges from the 17th century to today.

This book offers an alternative view to current postmodern approaches to composition. It takes a critical realist stance to arrive at the essence of written communication with the aim to inform a practical application: a computerized writing tutor.

Taking a step beyond conventional research, this volume provides a new and rich set of concepts regarding the conduct and design of research and educational social change. The text addresses the tension between academic rigor, policy, and practice in contemporary social research.

This book combines insights developed by philosophers of the social sciences with the writings of historians to offer a unique perspective touching on a wide range of topics, from the French and Chinese revolutions to agriculture and the industrial age.

This open access book describes how elite studies theoretically and methodologically construct their object, i.e. All sections comprise empirical case studies of elites and power, whereby each of which makes explicit the various methodological choices made in the research process.

The purpose of the multilevel approach is to understand individual behaviors taking into account the social context in which they occur.

This investigation into causal modelling presents the rationale of causality; i.e. what guides reasoning in causal modeling. In contrast to the dominant paradigm, it argues that causal models are governed by a variation, rather than regularity or invariance.

Another main emphasis is on developing a generative approach to invention and innovation, looking in detail at the contexts within which invention and innovation occur, and how these contexts impact on the chances for success or failure.

The purpose of the multilevel approach is to understand individual behaviors taking into account the social context in which they occur.

This book progressively works out a method of constructing models which can bridge the gap between empirical and theoretical research in the social sciences.