Advances in the sociology of trust and cooperation: theory, experiments, and field studies

The problem of cooperation and social order is one of the core issues in the social sciences. The key question is how humans, groups, institutions, and countries can avoid or overcome the collective good dilemmas that could lead to a Hobbesian war of all against all. Using the general set of social dilemmas as a paradigmatic example, rigorous formal analysis can stimulate scientific progress in several ways. The book, consisting of original articles, provides state of the art examples of research along these lines: theoretical, experimental, and field studies on trust and cooperation. The theoretical work covers articles on trust and control, reputation formation, and paradigmatic articles on the benefits and caveats of abstracting reality into models. The experimental articles treat lab based tests of models of trust and reputation, and the effects of the social and institutional embeddedness on behavior in cooperative interactions and possibly emerging inequalities. The field studies test these models in applied settings such as cooperation between organizations, informal care, and different kinds of collaboration networks. The book will be exemplary for rigorous sociology and social sciences more in general in a variety of ways: There is a focus on effects of social conditions, in particular different forms of social and institutional embeddedness, on social outcomes. Theorizing about and testing of effects of social contexts on individual and group outcomes is one of the main aims of sociological research. Modelling efforts include formal explications of micro-macro links that are typically easily overlooked when argumentation is intuitive and impressionistic Extensive attention is paid to unintended effects of intentional behavior, another feature that is a direct consequence of formal theoretical modelling and in-depth data-analyses of the social processe

Advances in the Sociology of Trust and Cooperation

The book identifies conditions for trust and cooperation. It highlights unintended consequences of individually rational behavior, and shows how trust and cooperation change dependent on social embeddedness. Such analyses inspire experimental tests in lab conditions, but also tests through empirical applications in field studies. The results of this mixed-method approach can in turn be used to inspire further theoretical work

THE SOCIAL FROM THE ECONOMIC: THE EMERGENCE OF SOLIDARITY WITHIN NETWORKS OF ECONOMIC EXCHANGE

In this dissertation, we attempted to contribute to the discussion about the link between the economic and the social. More specifically, we addressed the debate on the consequences of economically-oriented interaction on social relations. Sociological studies have mostly focused on understanding the opposite direction, i.e., the effect of social relations on economic outcomes. Conversely, our work was motivated by the idea that the consequences of the economic on the social is crucial for social sciences and society in general. First, we reviewed the literature on solidarity and exchange relations in sociology and the behavioural sciences. The chapter aimed to elaborate a theoretical framework and working hypotheses for the following chapters. We proposed a definition of solidarity at the behavioural level and various empirical contributions have been examined. Next, we conducted an empirical study on the link between professional collaboration and social support relations. In this work, certain hypotheses were tested on a group of independent professionals sharing a \u2019coworking\u2019 space. Here, we found that solidarity can emerge as a by-product of economic exchange among strangers if they are allowed to select each other for collaboration and develop trust relations. The following chapter presents an extensive literature review of the use of Agent-Based Models (ABM) for sociological research. Given the key role of this methodology in this dissertation, the chapter aims to provide a comprehensive account of the contributions to sociology given by applications of ABM computer simulations. Moreover, a classification of these contributions is proposed according to the various methodological approaches to ABM in social research. The aim of the chapter is to review ABM as a possible means to overcome some limitations of the study presented before. Then, the final study applies computer simulation to analyze cohesion and integration of a social support network from economic exchange. In this chapter, an ABM of the mechanisms observed in the previous empirical study is presented. The model is used to simulate the effect of competition and resource distribution on social support networks. The aim of this work is to explore the effects of different environmental conditions and overcome the context-specific properties of empirical data. We argue that competition over most attractive collaborators can undermine the emergence of a cohesive social support network. Yet, this detrimental effect can be avoided if we assume that poor-resource actors are more eager to ask others for support, therefore generating a cohesive and more integrated social support network. Finally, we drew some conclusions in the last chapter

Handbook of sociological science : contributions to rigorous sociology

22 of the 26 chapters are Open AccessThe Handbook of Sociological Science offers a refreshing, integrated perspective on research programs and ongoing developments in sociological science. It highlights key shared theoretical and methodological features, thereby contributing to progress and cumulative growth of sociological knowledge. Reflecting ‘unity in diversity’, chapters explore a wide variety of research fields, ranging from cultural capital, migration, social networks, gender inequality, historical sociology and ethnography to the intersection of sociology and the life sciences. Examining basic methodological standards for theory construction and empirical research, the Handbook exemplifies commonalities between research programmes within these fields. The contributors also explore rigorous sociology related to theory construction, empirical research, and methods, including statistical modelling and the integration of theoretical and empirical research. Forward-thinking and original, the Handbook concludes by illustrating the common core of rigorous sociology, how it can contribute to understanding societal problems and to policy making, and how research into sociological science can continue to thrive in the future. Accessible and engaging, this Handbook will be invaluable for scholars and researchers of sociology and sociological theory, research methods in sociology and social policy, and comparative social policy. Exploring new developments and applications, it will also act as a useful reference guide for policy makers. The Handbook will likewise be an important resource for teaching advanced courses and training graduate students.INTRODUCTION 1. Rigorous sociology 2, Werner Raub, Nan Dirk de Graaf, and Klarita Gërxhani PART I RESEARCH PROGRAMS 2. Order from chaos: sociology as a population science 21, Michelle Jackson 3. Analytical sociology 38, Gianluca Manzo 4. Computational approaches in rigorous sociology: agent-based computational, modeling and computational social science 57, Andreas Flache, Michael Mäs, and Marijn A. Keijzer 5. Stochastic network modeling as generative social science 73, Christian E.G. Steglich and Tom A.B. Snijders 6. Rational choice sociology: heuristic potential, applications, and limitations 100, Andreas Diekmann PART II NEW AND ONGOING DEVELOPMENTS IN SELECTED FIELDS 7. Cultural capital and educational inequality: an assessment of the state of the art 121, Mads Meier Jæger 8. Integration in migration societies 135, Frank Kalter 9. Social networks: effects and formation 154, Vincent Buskens, Rense Corten, and Werner Raub 10. Gender inequality, households, and work 176, Eva Jaspers, Tanja van der Lippe, and Marie Evertsson 11. Validation strategies in historical sociology (and beyond) 196, Ivan Ermakoff 12. Rigorous ethnography 215, Federico Varese 13. Evolution, biology, and society 232, Rosemary L. Hopcroft, Joseph Dippong, Hexuan Liu, and Rachel Kail 14. Sociogenomics: theoretical and empirical challenges of integrating molecular genetics into sociological thinking 250, Melinda C. Mills PART III METHODS 15. Causal inference with observational data 272, Richard Breen 16. Longitudinal designs and models for causal inference 287, Markus Gangl 17. Experimental sociology 309, Klarita Gërxhani and Luis Miller PART IV RIGOROUS SOCIOLOGY IN ACTION: SHOWCASES 18. Explaining educational differentials: towards a formal rational action theory 325, Richard Breen and John H. Goldthorpe 19. ‘Explaining educational differentials’ revisited: an evaluation of rigorous theoretical foundations and empirical findings 356, Rolf Becker 20. Structural holes and good ideas 372, Ronald S. Burt 21. Network mechanisms in innovation: borrowing and sparking ideas around structural holes 423, Balazs Vedres 22. Experimental study of inequality and unpredictability in an artificial cultural market 443, Matthew J. Salganik, Peter Sheridan Dodds, and Duncan J. Watts 23. Self-correcting dynamics in social influence processes 446, Arnout van de Rijt PART V FURTHER PERSPECTIVES 24. The climate crisis: what sociology can contribute 475, Dingeman Wiertz and Nan Dirk de Graaf 25. Roots of sociology as a science: some history of ideas 493, Thomas Voss 26. How to increase reproducibility and credibility of sociological research 512, Katrin Auspurg and Josef Brüderl -- Index 52

Three Essays on Network Dynamics and Liminality

This dissertation focuses on the emergence and evolution of social networks by paying particular attention to the spanning of cultural boundaries that segregate actors in the context of specific societies. In particular, I use systems science methods to study the bridging of cultural holes in small and relatively dense artificial societies, as well as in an American high school. I also study the significance of local triadic configurations in giving rise to the highly hierarchical system of aggregate-level migration flows in place in the Americas during the late 20th century. I use the concept of liminality as a way to analyze these disparate social systems. More precisely, I focus on the role of cultural brokers seen as actors at the limen – i.e. at the border – of symbolic boundaries, actors that can act as bridges between culturally disconnected worlds. In this context, this dissertation explains key network dynamics behind two emergent phenomena that are the direct result of liminal agents’ behaviors: the diffusion of innovations (Chapters 1 and 2) and a system of international migration flows (Chapter 3). Finally, I also put forward a critical view on brokerage based on different cases mentioned in the literature (e.g. 1.5 generation migrants or multiracial individuals) that show how the spanning of cultural holes can put brokers at an increased risk of being socially and/or psychologically harmed