The People of "Linden Tree Street" and the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP)

Lately I have been receiving numerous requests for contributions to commemorative publications, farewell speeches, and anniversary lectures. I cannot respond to all of these requests, especially since not all of them are as inspiring as the one today: the 25th (in words: the twenty-fifth!) wave of the SOEP! This is indeed an anniversary that should be duly celebrated and honored. The German soap opera "Lindenstrasse" (Linden Tree Street) that was first aired in December 1985 is almost as old as the SOEP. Who could have foreseen in 1984 that there would be so many waves of the SOEP and so many episodes of "Lindenstrasse" following that first one? In the following, I will address four different aspects. First, I will describe some of my impressions while participating in the establishment of the SOEP and its first waves. Second, I will draw attention to the SOEP's role in current public debates (such as the one on migration issues). Third, I will describe my experiences as a SOEP user, and finally, I will elaborate on the great significance of the SOEP for the integration of the social sciences and their empirical methodologies.

Rationalität und Bindung : das Modell der Frame-Selektion und die Erklärung des normativen Handelns

For the Rational-Choice Theory, the explanation of an unconditional commitment to moral and other imperatives has always been a great challenge. Two solutions for this problem have been proposed, which are rooted in the more economically or sociologically inspired social sciences. The first is that effects of an unconditional normative commitment can be included into Rational-Choice Theory when the traditional set of the actors goals is extended by "moral" motives. The second solution is the notion that unconditional behavioral imperatives are the results of an automatic activation of behavioral programs and thus from a mechanism completely different from instrumental rationality. These two different judgement and decision processes correspond with those described and experimentally analyzed in dual-process theories in social psychology. These are the use of activated mental models based on the actors' learning histories and the formation of future-oriented behavioral intentions. Here, the unfruitful opposition between economists and sociologists is resolved in favor of a third, theoretically integrative approach. This is to use a more general theory to explain which of both modes of judgement and decision making has to be expected. In this perspective, neither the homo oeconomicus nor the homo sociologicus is regarded as a generally valid idea of man, but the underlying theories have special conditions where they apply. The Frame-Selection Model which is presented in this paper is nothing more than a formal representation of this up to now only verbally presented ideas. In this paper, we will discuss and reconstruct on the background of this theory three examples of effects of unconditional imperatives, which can hardly be explained in the framework of Rational-Choice Theory. The aim is to demonstrate that the Frame-Selection Model can be fruitfully applied in order to explain these phenomena

Rationalität und Bindung. Das Modell der Frame-Selektion und die Erklärung des normativen Handelns

For the Rational-Choice Theory, the explanation of an unconditional commitment to moral and other imperatives has always been a great challenge. Two solutions for this problem have been proposed, which are rooted in the more economically or sociologically inspired social sciences. The first is that effects of an unconditional normative commitment can be included into Rational-Choice Theory when the traditional set of the actors` goals is extended by "moral" motives. The second solution is the notion that unconditional behavioral imperatives are the results of an automatic activation of behavioral programs and thus from a mechanism completely different from instrumental rationality. These two different judgement and decision processes correspond with those described and experimentally analyzed in dual-process theories in social psychology. These are the use of activated mental models based on the actors' learning histories and the formation of future-oriented behavioral intentions. Here, the unfruitful opposition between economists and sociologists is resolved in favor of a third, theoretically integrative approach. This is to use a more general theory to explain which of both modes of judgement and decision making has to be expected. In this perspective, neither the homo oeconomicus nor the homo sociologicus is regarded as a generally valid idea of man, but the underlying theories have special conditions where they apply. The Frame-Selection Model which is presented in this paper is nothing more than a formal representation of this up to now only verbally presented ideas. In this paper, we will discuss and reconstruct on the background of this theory three examples of effects of unconditional imperatives, which can hardly be explained in the framework of Rational-Choice Theory. The aim is to demonstrate that the Frame-Selection Model can be fruitfully applied in order to explain these phenomena.

Affektuelles Handeln: Emotionen und das Modell der Frame-Selektion

According to Max Weber, affectual action is one of four types of behavior. This type of action differs from instrumentally rational behavior in a way that the actors do not deliberately choose means with respect to certain ends, but are driven by their emotions prevalent in the situation. The emotional type of behavior has some "irrational" deviations from instrumental rationality in common with the traditional and value-rational types of behavior. As in the case of a value-rational orientation, the sense of behavior is not rooted in positively evaluated consequences, but in the particular behavior itself. The difference however is that emotional behavior does not imply a conscious elaboration of and a systematic orientation towards the most basic principles of behavior. With the traditional type of behavior it has in common the complete absence of any deliberation. Yet, emotional behavior does not simply imply a stimulus-driven execution of learned attitudes, but a vigorous and abrupt accomplishment of subjective preferences and a reaction to certain deviations from the usual course of events in everyday life. The problem with this typology of behavior is that it is not sufficient to label them, but it is necessary to predict under which conditions each has to be expected and how actors change from one to another. The aim of this paper is to show how this can be achieved with the Frame-Selection Model.

Können Befragte lügen? Zum Konzept des "wahren Wertes" im Rahmen der handlungstheoretischen Erklärung von Situationseinflüssen bei der Befragung

In interaktionistischer Kritik am normativen Paradigma in der Umfrageforschung wird ein theoretisches Modell entwickelt, 'das situationsspezifische Reaktionen bei der Befragung erklären und in diesem Rahmen die Bedeutung des Konzeptes des 'wahren Wertes' präzisieren soll'. Dieses Modell beruht auf der Theorie des sozialen Handelns, nach der das Antwortverhalten Resultat einer 'Bewertung von in einr Situation wahrgenommenen Handlungsalternativen in Hinsicht auf Konsequenzen der Handlung' ist. Dazu wurde ein 'Überblick über die wichtigsten Ergebnisse zu systematischen 'Fehlern' bei der Datenerhebung' gegeben, entsprechende theoretische Erklärungsansätze der Methodenforschung skizziert und hinsichtlich ihrer Gemeinsamkeiten untersucht. 'Das Ergebnis führt zur Formulierung ... einer allgemeinen Erklärung des Befragtenverhaltens, das dann zur Deutung einiger Regelmäßigkeiten und Analyse einiger bekannter und einiger kontra-intuitiver Effekte verwandt wird.' Die Untersuchung des Befragtenverhaltens ergab, daß es Situationen und Bedingungen gibt, unter denen sich Befragte im Alltag und in der Befragtensituation an einer stabilen personalen Identität und an einem stabilen lebensweltlichen Milieu orientieren. Ebenso gibt es andere Bedingungen, unter denen Identitäten und Milieus differenzierter sind, so daß hier vom 'wahren Wert' im Antwortverhalten kaum zu sprechen ist. (AG

Über die Teilnahme an Befragungen

Einige Faktoren zur Erklärung des Teilnahmeverhaltens bei Umfragen werden benannt und auf dieser Basis die Auswirkungen von Variationen in den Befragungsumständen abgeschätzt. Die Überlegungen beruhen auf der Annahme, daß die Teilnahme an einer Befragung wie jedes andere Handeln als Entscheidung zwischen Alternativen zu erklären ist. In diese Entscheidung einbezogen werden Aspekte des Befragten, des Interviewers und des Erhebungsinstruments. Von gewisser Bedeutung ist auch die Stärke der Verpflichtung zur Teilnahme, insbesondere bei der Datenerhebung für die amtliche Statistik. Der Effekt eines deutlichen Angebots der Teilnahmefreiwilligkeit bestünde in der Verstärkung einer ohnehin bei Umfragen bestehenden Tendenz der Unterrepräsentierung der oberen und unteren sozialen Schichten. (GB