Books/Livres

World Social Science Report

UNESCO International Social Science Council, World Social Science Report – Knowledge Divides, UNESCO, 2010, 9789231041310, 423 pp. Social science from Western countries continues to have the greatest global influence, but the field is expanding rapidly in Asia and Latin America, particularly in China and Brazil. In sub-Saharan Africa, social scientists from South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya produce 75 percent of academic publications. In South Asia, barring some centers of excellence in India, social sciences as a whole have low priority. These are a few of the findings from World Social Science Report, 2010: “Knowledge Divides”.

Produced by the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and co-published with UNESCO, the Report is the first comprehensive overview of the field in over a decade. Hundreds of social scientists from around the world contributed their expertise to the publication. Gudmund Hernes, President of the ISSC, Adebayo Olukoshi, Director of the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP), Hebe Vessuri, Director, Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), and François Héran, Director of Research, National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED), France, are among the experts who presented the Report during its official launch at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 25 June 2010.

There is a Foreword by Irina Bokova (Director-General of UNESCO), another by Pierre Sané (Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences), and a Preface by Gudmund Hernes (President, International Social Science Council). The editorial team includes the two authors of the General Introduction, Françoise Caillods and Laurent Jeanpierre. The Report includes ten chapters: 1. “Social Sciences Facing the World”; 2. “The Institutional Geography of Social Science”; 3. “Unequal Capacities”; 4. “Uneven Internationalization”; 5. “Homogenizing or Pluralizing Social Sciences?”; 6. “Disciplinary Territories”; 7. “Competing in the Knowledge Society”, which includes three subsections on “Global Rankings”, “Assessment and Evaluation of Research” and “Project Funding and Agenda-setting” will be of particular interest to BMS readers; 8. “Disseminating Social Sciences”; 9. “Social Sciences and Policy-makers”; 10. “Conclusions and Future Lines of Action”. The three Annexes are: 1. Basic statistics on the production of social sciences; 2. Bibliographical databases and repositories; and 3. Supplementary figures and tables. The full online English version of the Report is available for download from http://www.unesco.org/shs/wssr. The 2010 report has been published in English and French. Long contributions which cannot appear fully in the report have been placed on the WSSR Web site.

The remit to produce the World Social Science Report (WSSR) was given to the ISSC by UNESCO. The first and only such report was produced by UNESCO ten years ago in 1999. As the World Social Science Report will be produced on a regular basis, a theme will be chosen for each publication. The theme chosen by the ISSC General Assembly for the 2010 report is “Knowledge Divides”. Hence the report focuses on inequalities and asymmetries in social science knowledge production in an overall context of economic, social and cultural globalization. The main objective of the 2010 WSSR is to highlight the importance of social science expertise in addressing contemporary global challenges, review how social science knowledge is produced, disseminated and used in different parts of the world and assess how social sciences are coping and evolving in the face of unequal conditions and diverging trends. The ISSC sought a maximum of involvement from its membership and regional partners in the production of the Report. A questionnaire was sent at an early stage to ISSC members and professional associations to identify regional trends in knowledge production, priority concerns in social science research and the main users of the knowledge produced. Regional associations including CLACSO, CODESRIA and AASSREC have also been asked to contribute to the report.

The 2010 Report provides a comprehensive review of the state of the social sciences in the world by: analyzing some of the most critical global problems confronting humanity; providing a detailed description of the organization of social science production in different regions of the world; reviewing the different factors that contribute to the depletion of national social science research capacities; analyzing the inequalities in knowledge production; reviewing the impact of internationalization of the social sciences; discussing the divides and bridges between disciplines; assess the impact of the recent trends in evaluation and funding; analyzing the relationship between social scientists, policy-makers and society at large; and making concrete proposals for tackling existing challenges.

Of particular interest for BMS readers, one could note Laurent Jeanpierre’s “The International Migration of Social Scientists” (pp. 118-121), Yves Gingras and Sébastien Mosbah-Natanson’s “Where Are Social Sciences Produced?” (pp. 149-153), which confirms that “the globalization and internationalization of research have essentially favoured Europe and North America … [but] Europe has increased its centrality and is now comparable to North America.” There is also Craig Calhoun’s section, “North American Social Science: Trends in and beyond Disciplines” (pp. 219-224), which notes: “All the disciplines are large and internally heterogeneous. All are methodologically diverse. All include sharp critics of the dominant tendencies. Moreover, there are major interdisciplinary fields that both have their own character and shape the participating disciplines.” Eric Archambault and Vincent Larivière explore “The Limits of Bibliometrics for the Analysis of the Social Sciences and Humanities Literature” (pp. 251-254). There is also Alain Desrosières’ “From Representative Statistics to Indicators of Performance” (pp. 333-334), which notes that: “The ways in which mechanisms of power are organized have regularly shifted over the past two centuries. New statistical forms and practices have appeared at each juncture.”

Given these empirically-based analyses and their extensive use of statistics, an open question is why doesn’t the Report include comparative statistical analyses of American, French and Germany sociological research, since these are the three dominant world sociologies, according to International Sociological Association statistics. Such analyses are available and several have been published in the BMS: “The AFS and the BMS: Analyzing Contemporary French Sociology”, April 2009, vol. 102, 1, pp. 5-13; “French Sociology as Seen Through the Co-Word Analysis of AFS Congress Abstracts: 2004, 2006 & 2009”, April 2009, vol. 102, 1, pp. 39-54; “German & French Contemporary Sociology Compared: Text Analysis of Congress Abstracts”, October 2009, vol. 104, 1, pp. 5-31.

Sage Handbook of Social Network Analysis

John Scott and Peter Carrington (editors), The Sage Handbook of Social Network Analysis, 2011, Sage Publications, 9781847873958 (Ebook 9781446250112), 622 pp. Sage Publications’ series of edited “Handbooks” is rather well-known and respected with such volumes as: The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (1994, 2000 & 2005), edited by Norman K. Denzin and Yvonna S. Lincoln; The Sage Handbook of Sociology (2005), edited by Craig Calhoun and Chris Rojek; and The Sage Handbook of Evaluation (2006), edited by Jennifer C. Greene and Melvin M. Mark. So it’s not that surprising that two social network “heavyweights” have edited a social network analysis Handbook that offers an unrivalled resource. It introduces the key concepts, substantive topics, central methods and prime debates. It covers in particular network theory, interdisciplinary applications, online networks, corporate networks, lobbying networks, deviant networks, measuring devices, key methodologies and software applications. It offers a critical survey of the origins, basic issues and major debates. This Handbook provides a one-stop guide that will probably be used by readers for decades to come.

The Handbook’s 38 chapters are regrouped into three parts: Part One - General Issues, with seven chapters; Part Two - Substantive Topics, with 15 chapters; and Part Three - Concepts and Methods, with 16 chapters. Of particular interest for BMS readers, one should note the first four chapters of Part One: “Social Network Analysis - An Introduction”, by Alexandra Marin and Barry Wellman (one of the founders of the International Network of Social Network Analysts, INSNA); “The Development of Social Network Analysis - With an Emphasis on Recent Events”, by Linton C. Freeman (a founding editor of Social Networks); “Network Theory”, by Stephen P. Borgatti and Virginie Lopez-Kidwell; and “Social Physics and Social Networks”, by John Scott.

In Part Two, one should note: “Personal Communities - The World According To Me”, by Vincent Chua, Julia Madej and Barry Wellman; “Social Support”, by Lijun Song, Joonmo Son and Nan Lin (well-known for his work on social capital); “Kinship, Class, and Community”, by Douglas R. White; “Social Movements and Collective Action”, by Mario Diani; “Crime and Social Network Analysis”, by Peter J. Carrington; and “Scientific and Scholarly Networks”, by Howard D. White.

In Part Three, one should note: “Survey Methods for Network Data”, by Peter V. Marsden; “Survey Sampling in Networks”, by Ove Frank; “Analyzing Affiliation Networks”, by Stephen P. Borgatti and Daniel S. Halgin; “Positions and Roles”, by Anuska Ferligoj, Patrick Doreian and Vladimir Batagelj; “Network Dynamics”, by Tom A. B. Snijders (who created the Siena dynamic network software); “Large-Scale Network Analysis”, by Vladimir Batagelj (who created the widely-used Pajek social network analysis software); and “Network Visualization”, by Lothar Krempel.

Indeed, the editors have chosen recognized specialists for each subject treated in the Handbook, and there are many subjects treated. Over the past few decades social network analysis has broadened its scope from anthropology and sociology to all behavioral and social sciences, from social and organizational psychology to management science and economics. The Handbook provides well-founded introductions and overviews for this broad range of social network studies, approaches, and methodology. It is a necessary acquisition for anybody interested in the way social network relations evolve, are structured and affect outcomes in all part of our life and society.

Understanding Social Networks

Charles Kadushin, Understanding Social Networks - Theories, Concepts, and Findings, 2011, Oxford University Press, 9780195379471, 252 pp. Despite the swift spread of social network concepts and their applications and the rising use of network analysis in social science, there is no book that provides a thorough general introduction for the serious reader. Understanding Social Networks fills that gap by explaining the big ideas that underlie the social network phenomenon. Written for those interested in this fast moving area but who are not mathematically inclined, it covers fundamental concepts, and then discusses networks and their core themes in increasing order of complexity. The author demystifies the concepts, theories, and findings developed by network experts. He selects material that serves as basic building blocks and examples of best practices that will allow the reader to understand and evaluate new developments as they emerge. Understanding Social Networks will be useful to social scientists who encounter social network research in their reading, students new to the network field, as well as managers, marketers, and others who constantly encounter social networks in their work.

The book’s 12 chapters are: 1. Introduction; 2. Basic Network Concepts, Part I - Individual Members of Networks, which introduces Propinquity and Homophily; 3. Basic Network Concepts, Part II - Whole Social Networks, which introduces Density, Structural Holes, Weak Ties, Centrality and The “Small World"; 4. Basic Network Concepts, Part III - Network Segmentation, which introduces Cliques, Clusters, Structural Similarity and Structural Equivalence; 5. The Psychological Foundations of Social Networks; 6. Small Groups, Leadership, and Social Networks - The Basic Building Blocks; 7. Organizations and Networks, which treats Tradeoffs between Network Size, Diversity, and Social Cohesion; 8. The Small World, Circles, and Communities; 9. Networks and Diffusion, which treats Innovation, Influence and Decision-Making; 10. Networks as Social Capital, which also touches on Social Support; 11. Ethical Dilemmas of Network Research; 12. Coda - Ten Master Ideas of Social Networks, which “lay out essential features of network concepts, theory, and analysis.” The Ten Master Ideas are: 1. Interaction and Relatedness (social network theory is about describing, accounting for, or even predicting interactions between social units); 2. Displaying Social Networks as Graphs and Diagrams Called Sociograms (network pictures can be dramatic but they are also problematic); 3. Homophily (“birds of a feather flock together” moves us directly into considerations of social systems); 4. Triads (are the true start of a social system); 5. Motivation (corresponds to two fundamental aspects of social networks, density and structural holes); 6. Position (degree, betweenness, strength of weak ties); 7. Organizational Authority (hierarchical systems); 8. Small World (networks connect the entire world, social as well as physical); 9. Diffusion (the basis is that something passes or flows from one unit to the other); and Social Capital.

This is an excellent non-mathematized university-level introduction to social network analysis for non-specialists, but nonetheless cover all the essential aspects of network research.

Gilbert Saporta, Probabilités, analyse des données et statistique, troisième édition, 2011, Editions Technip, 9782710809807, 656 pp. La démarche statistique n’est pas seulement une auxiliaire des sciences destinée à valider ou non des modèles préétablis, c’est aussi une méthodologie indispensable pour extraire des connaissances à partir de données et un élément essentiel pour la prise de décision. La très large diffusion d’outils informatiques peut donner l’illusion de la facilité à ceux qui n’en connaissent pas les limites, alors que la statistique est plus que jamais un mode de pensée fondamental pour maîtriser la complexité, l’aléatoire et les risques, en donnant la prudence scientifique nécessaire.

Ce manuel présente l’ensemble des connaissances utiles pour pouvoir pratiquer la statistique. Il est destiné à un vaste public (étudiants, chercheurs, praticiens de toutes disciplines) possédant le niveau d’algèbre et d’analyse d’un premier cycle universitaire scientifique ou économique.

Cette édition est une révision complète, avec des ajouts, des éditions à succès de 1990 et de 2006. Elle comporte de nombreux développements sur des méthodes récentes. Les 21 chapitres sont structurés en cinq parties : outils probabilistes, analyse exploratoire, statistique inférentielle, modèles prédictifs et recueil de données. On y trouve l’essentiel de la théorie des probabilités, les différentes méthodes d’analyse exploratoire des données (analyses factorielles et classification), la statistique « classique » avec l’estimation et les tests mais aussi les méthodes basées sur la simulation, la régression linéaire et logistique ainsi que des techniques non linéaires, la théorie des sondages et la construction de plans d’expériences.

La première partie – Outils probabilistes – comprend quatre chapitres : Le modèle probabiliste ; Variables aléatoires (avec le processus ponctuel de Poisson) ; Couples de variables aléatoires, conditionnement ; et Vecteurs aléatoires, formes quadratiques et lois associées. La deuxième partie – Statistique exploratoire – comprend sept chapitres : Description unidimensionnelle de données numériques ; Description bidimensionnelle et mesures de liaison entre variables ; L’analyse en composantes principales (avec une section Interprétation des résultats) ; L’analyse canonique et la comparaison de groupes de variables ; L’analyse des correspondances ; L’analyse des correspondances multiples ; Méthodes de classification. La troisième partie – Statistique inférentielle – comprend quatre chapitres : Distributions des caractéristiques d’un échantillon ; L’estimation ; Les tests statistiques ; Méthodes de Monte-Carlo et de rééchantillonnage (jack-knife, bootstrap). La quatrième partie – Modèles prédictifs – comprend quatre chapitres : La régression simple ; La régression multiple et le modèle linéaire général ; Analyse discriminante et régression logistique ; Méthodes algorithmiques, choix de modèles et principes d’apprentissage. La cinquième et dernière partie – Recueil des données – comprend deux chapitres : Sondages ; Plans d’expériences.

Le livre se termine avec cinq annexes couvrantes les Tables usuelles, les Formulaires, le Calcul des fonctions de répartition de certaines lois continues, Les fonctions eulériennes, et Quelques résultats utiles d’algèbre linéaire. C’est un manuel très complet et doit répondre à quasiment tous les besoins de ceux qui travaillent avec des probabilités, l’analyse des données et les statistiques.

Norma Romm, New Racism: Revisiting Researcher Accountabilities, 2010, Springer, 9789048187270, 496 pp. In the late twentieth century, there was much debate in the social research methodology literature around how researchers claim to investigate and to know the social world. The author has made contributions to this field over that period. Her previous book, Accountability in Social Research: Issues and Debates (2001) was a review and discussion of how accountabilities are constructed within and between different research paradigms. Her latest book, New Racism, is intended to show how to carry out both responsible and accountable social research.

Bagele Chilisa, Indigenous Research Methodologies, 2011, Sage Publications, 9781412958820, 343 pp. Responding to increased emphasis in the classroom and the field on exposing students to diverse epistemologies, methods, and methodologies, the author has written an uncomplicated and basic textbook that situates research in a larger, historical, cultural, and global context. With case studies from around the world, the book demonstrates the specific methodologies that are commensurate with traditions of third-world and indigenous peoples. The book’s ten chapters are: 1. Situating Knowledge Systems; 2. Discovery and Recovery - Reading and Conducting Research Responsibly; 3. Whose Reality Counts - Research Methods in Question; 4. Postcolonial Indigenous Research Paradigms; 5. Theorizing on Social Science Research Methods - Indigenous Perspectives; 6. Culturally Responsive Indigenous Research Methodologies; 7. Decolonizing the Interview Method; 8. Participatory Research Methods; 9. Postcolonial Indigenous Feminist Research Methodologies; 10. Building Partnerships and Integrating Knowledge Systems. In particular, two indigenous methodologies are described in this book: the Kaupapa Maori Research Methodology (pp. 175-181) and the Afrocentric Methodologies (pp. 185-189).