1,890,499 research outputs found
A comparative study on communication structures of Chinese journals in the social sciences
We argue that the communication structures in the Chinese social sciences
have not yet been sufficiently reformed. Citation patterns among Chinese
domestic journals in three subject areas -- political science and marxism,
library and information science, and economics -- are compared with their
counterparts internationally. Like their colleagues in the natural and life
sciences, Chinese scholars in the social sciences provide fewer references to
journal publications than their international counterparts; like their
international colleagues, social scientists provide fewer references than
natural sciences. The resulting citation networks, therefore, are sparse.
Nevertheless, the citation structures clearly suggest that the Chinese social
sciences are far less specialized in terms of disciplinary delineations than
their international counterparts. Marxism studies are more established than
political science in China. In terms of the impact of the Chinese political
system on academic fields, disciplines closely related to the political system
are less specialized than those weakly related. In the discussion section, we
explore reasons that may cause the current stagnation and provide policy
recommendations
Thomas S. Schelling: game theory and indirect communication
In their recent work Thomas S. Schelling (2007, 2010), reiterating original arguments about game theory and its applications to social sciences. In particular, game theory helps to explore situations in which agents make decisions interdependent (strategic communication). Schelling's originality is to extend economic theory to social sciences. When a player can anticipate the options and influence the decisions of others. The strategy, indirect communication plays a crucial role. To illustrate, we investigate how to perform the payoff matrix in cases of bribery and threatSocial Science, Schelling, game theory, strategic communications, bribes, threats
Public Administration Education in Italy: a Statistical Analysis
The paper presents a statistical analysis exploring public administration education in Italian universities. It highlights the main specificities of PA education in Italy with reference to the disciplinary character, the geographical distribution, the type and level of PA programs, etc. and aims at describing how universities are adjusting curricula in relation to public sector modernization, by comparing the main faculties (economics and management sciences, law, political sciences, sociology, engineering, sciences of communication, social sciences) of all Italian universities.Public Administration; Education; Training; Disciplinary Approaches; Administrative Culture
Communicating the social sciences
This chapter reviews the sparse and somewhat scattered research literature that has specifically addressed the public communication of the social sciences (PCSS). This literature, in common with much research on the public communication of science and technology (PCST), lacks consistency or indeed clear definitions of what is meant by āsocial scienceā, ānatural scienceā and indeed, āscienceā. Analyses of social science media coverage indicate that the social sciences are communicated in some quite different patterns from those seen with natural science research. Some authors have suggested that this may be due to the overlap between the subject matter of social science research (people), and experiential, ācommon senseā knowledge. Other relevant literature, on āself-helpā psychology books, public intellectuals, and social scientists as expert witnesses. There is an urgent need for more consistent, systematic research addressing PCSS, in order to understand better the general issues involved in communicating expertise and those faced specifically by the social sciences. Researchers in PCST should reflect on these issues in order to address reflexively how we communicate publicly about our field, just as we seek to advise other researchers on how best to communicate in the public domain
Sociological and Communication-Theoretical Perspectives on the Commercialization of the Sciences
Both self-organization and organization are important for the further
development of the sciences: the two dynamics condition and enable each other.
Commercial and public considerations can interact and "interpenetrate" in
historical organization; different codes of communication are then
"recombined." However, self-organization in the symbolically generalized codes
of communication can be expected to operate at the global level. The Triple
Helix model allows for both a neo-institutional appreciation in terms of
historical networks of university-industry-government relations and a
neo-evolutionary interpretation in terms of three functions: (i) novelty
production, (i) wealth generation, and (iii) political control. Using this
model, one can appreciate both subdynamics. The mutual information in three
dimensions enables us to measure the trade-off between organization and
self-organization as a possible synergy. The question of optimization between
commercial and public interests in the different sciences can thus be made
empirical.Comment: Science & Education (forthcoming
"Meaning" as a sociological concept: A review of the modeling, mapping, and simulation of the communication of knowledge and meaning
The development of discursive knowledge presumes the communication of meaning
as analytically different from the communication of information. Knowledge can
then be considered as a meaning which makes a difference. Whereas the
communication of information is studied in the information sciences and
scientometrics, the communication of meaning has been central to Luhmann's
attempts to make the theory of autopoiesis relevant for sociology. Analytical
techniques such as semantic maps and the simulation of anticipatory systems
enable us to operationalize the distinctions which Luhmann proposed as relevant
to the elaboration of Husserl's "horizons of meaning" in empirical research:
interactions among communications, the organization of meaning in
instantiations, and the self-organization of interhuman communication in terms
of symbolically generalized media such as truth, love, and power. Horizons of
meaning, however, remain uncertain orders of expectations, and one should
caution against reification from the meta-biological perspective of systems
theory
AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS RESEARCH AND THE EXPERIMENT STATION SYSTEM
This paper discusses the role of agricultural economics research within the land-grant university system. Fundamental differences between research in the biological sciences and the social sciences are delineated. Implications of these differences for experiment station research programs are discussed. Recommendations are made which have potential for enhancing the role of agricultural economics within colleges of agriculture.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,
Unstandard Standardization: The Case of Biology
How applicable are the approaches adopted by information and communication technology standards-setting organizations to biological standards? Most engineering-based industries construct products from standard, well understood components. By contrast, despite the early attachment of the moniker āgenetic engineeringā to biotechnology, standardization in the biological sciences has been relatively rare
Researcher-Led Development of E-Research in the Social Sciences: The Case of an E-Social Science Pilot Demonstrator Project
The introduction and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the process of research is extending beyond research management into research practice itself. This extension of the use of ICT in research is being termed as e-research. The characteristics of e-research are seen as the combination of three interrelated strands, which are: the increased computerization of the research process; research organized more predominantly in the form of distributed networks of researchers, and a strong emphasis on visualization. E-research has become established in the natural sciences but the development of e-research in relation to social sciences is variable and less pervasive. The richness of the social sciences and their variety of practices and engagement in diverse fields of study mean that e-research as utilized in the natural sciences cannot be easily migrated into the social sciences. This paper explores the development of e-research for the social sciences. The paper is based on an ESRC funded e-social science demonstrator project in which social scientists sought to shape the use of Grid ICT technologies in the research process. The project is called: \'Collaborative Analysis of Offenders\' Personal and Area-based Social Exclusion\': it addresses social exclusion in relation to how individual and neighbourhood effects account for geographical variations of crime patterns and explores the opportunities and challenges offered by e-research to address the research problem. The paper suggests that if e-research is driven from the needs of social research then it can enhance the practice of social science.E-Research; Social and Area-Based Exclusion; Young People at Risk of Crime; Information and Communication Technologies; Collaborative Research; Interdisciplinary Research
- ā¦