Download or read book The Social Sciences of Quantification written by Isabelle Bruno and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-09-29 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book details how quantification can serve both as evidence and as an instrument of government, whether when dealing with statistics on employment, occupational health and economic governance, or when developing public management or target-driven policies. In the process, it presents a thought-provoking homage to Alain Desrosières, who pioneered ways to study large numbers and the politics underlying them. It opens with a summary of Desrosières's contributions to the field in which several generations of researchers detail how this statistician and historian profoundly influenced them. This tribute, based on personal testimonies, bears witness to the vitality of the school of thought and analytical framework Desrosières initiated. Next, a collection of essays explores the statistical argument in the neoliberal era, examining issues such as counting the homeless in Europe, measuring the performance of public services, and quantifying the effects of public action on the unemployed in France. The third part details the uses of quantification. It reveals that although statistics are frequently used to the advantage of those in power, they can also play a vital role in challenging and resisting both the conventions underlying the measurements as well as the measurements themselves.Featuring the work of economists, historians, political scientists, sociologists, and statisticians, this title provides readers with a thoughtful look at an influential figure in the history of statistics. It also shows how statistics are used to direct public policy, the degree of conflict that is possible in their production, and the disputes that can develop around their uses.
Download or read book Statistical Sources for Social Research on Western Europe 1945 1995 written by Franz Rothenbacher and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The intention of this book is to give a picture of the complex material that has been published in the field of social and econornic statistics in Western Europe. Although there are many guides, bibliographies and reference books on special topics of this broad theme, a general overview has been missing. With this book I hope to fill this gap. The frame of reference is a scientific one: enabling and facilitating comparative social research on Western Europe. In some respect this book enlarges and updates the bibliography written by Peter Flora, "Quantitative Historical Sociology", pub lished in "Current Sociology" in 1975. In principle, this guide is an annotated bibli ography of the most important printed material in the field of official statistics. The legitimacy of such an approach lies in the fact that even today printed statistics are the most important form of dissemination of statistical results, although microcom puters, CD-ROMs and the Internet have changed this situation. In any case, a spe cial section on statistical databases is included for every country, describing the main databases of the statistical offices. Furthermore, the Internet address of each international or national statistical institute is provided in the introductory para graph. This enables the reader to get fast access to online databases and supple mentary online information on statistics via the Internet.
Download or read book Economists and Societies written by Marion Fourcade and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Economists and Societies' explores the role of economists in the modern world. It looks at the extent of their involvement in social programs, the regulatory environment & commerce, & offers analysis of the development of this ubiquitous profession.
Download or read book Beyond the Threshold written by Graham Room and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 1995-11 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection brings together a wide range of views on the conceptualization and measurement of social exclusion and the indicators for monitoring the effectiveness of policies for combating social exclusion.
Download or read book The New Politics of Numbers written by Andrea Mennicken and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-10-11 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book offers unique insight into how and where ideas and instruments of quantification have been adopted, and how they have come to matter. Rather than asking what quantification is, New Politics of Numbers explores what quantification does, its manifold consequences in multiple domains. It scrutinizes the power of numbers in terms of the changing relations between numbers and democracy, the politics of evidence, and dreams and schemes of bettering society. The book engages Foucault inspired studies of quantification and the economics of convention in a critical dialogue. In so doing, it provides a rich account of the plurality of possible ways in which numbers have come to govern, highlighting not only their disciplinary effects, but also the collective mobilization capacities quantification can offer. This book will be invaluable reading for academics and graduate students in a wide variety of disciplines, as well as policymakers interested in the opportunities and pitfalls of governance by numbers.
Download or read book Bringing Bourdieu s Theory of Fields to Critical Policy Analysis written by Vincent Dubois and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2024-01-18 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Laying down the foundations of a critical sociological approach to the interdisciplinary domain of public policy, this insightful book presents the first systematic reflection on the use of Bourdieu’s theory of social fields to analyse policy processes. Engaging with theoretical dimensions, it provides innovative methodological tools, both quantitative and qualitative in nature. Bringing together an array of eminent contributors and case studies from across the globe, it presents theoretical and methodological insights, as well as empirical information on national cases and policy sectors.
Download or read book Modeling of Next Generation Digital Learning Environments written by Marc Trestini and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2018-10-25 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The emergence of social networks, OpenCourseWare, Massive Open Online Courses, informal remote learning and connectivist approaches to learning has made the analysis and evaluation of Digital Learning Environments more complex. Modeling these complex systems makes it possible to transcribe the phenomena observed and facilitates the study of these processes with the aid of specific tools. Once this essential step is taken, it then becomes possible to develop plausible scenarios from the observation of emerging phenomena and dominant trends. This book highlights the contribution of complex systems theory in the study of next generation Digital Learning Environments. It describes a realistic approach and proposes a range of effective management tools to achieve it.
Download or read book Advanced Information Systems Engineering Workshops written by Marko Bajec and published by Springer. This book was released on 2012-07-04 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed proceedings of eight international workshops held in Gdańsk, Poland, in conjunction with the 24th International Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering, CAiSE 2012, in June 2012. The 35 full and 17 short revised papers were carefully selected from 104 submissions. The eight workshops were Agility of Enterprise Systems (AgilES), Business/IT Alignment and Interoperability (BUSITAL), Enterprise and Organizational Modeling and Simulation (EOMAS), Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRCIS), Human-Centric Process-Aware Information Systems (HC-PAIS), System and Software Architectures (IWSSA), Ontology, Models, Conceptualization and Epistemology in Social, Artificial and Natural Systems (ONTOSE), and Information Systems Security Engineering (WISSE).
Download or read book Radioactive Risk for Humans written by Jean-Claude Amiard and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2024-10-29 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once scientists discovered radioactivity, they soon recognized its dangers. However, the assessment of radioactive risk to humans is still the subject of heated debate. In this book, the authors present a summary of past and recent scientific work on estimating radioactivity in the anthroposphere and the radioactive contamination of human beings. They describe the various sources of exposure to ionizing radiation (external, internal and dietary) and estimate the irradiation doses suffered by humans under various conditions (both naturally occurring for the general public and professionals, and from accidents). The harmful effects of ionizing radiation at various biological levels (molecular, cellular and tissue) and health effects at the individual level are also discussed. Particular focus will be placed on radiation-induced occupational illnesses. The relationship between doses of ionizing radiation and its harmful effects is discussed with reference to high, medium and low doses. The controversies on this subject are outlined, and international and French regulatory values are provided. Finally, an estimate of the radioactive risk for humans is suggested.
Download or read book The Digital Era 1 written by Jean-Pierre Chamoux and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2018-06-19 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For 200 years, industry mastered iron, fire, strength and energy. Today, electronics shapes our everyday objects, integrating chips: computers, phones, keys, games, household appliances, etc. Data, software and calculation frame the conduct of humankind, and everything is translated into data. The first volume in this series analyzes the stakes of the massive data which accumulate on the Internet, keeping track of our actions and gestures, the state of the world and our knowledge.
Download or read book The Economics and Econometrics of Innovation written by David Encaoua and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 603 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the past few decades, the interest of economists in the sources of long-term economic growth has led an increasing number of them to focus on the role of innovation in creating that growth. Although some researchers have always been interested in this topic, the groundbreaking work of Solow (1957), Nelson (1959) and Arrow (1962) made many other economists recognize the central role played by innovation in almost all spheres of economic activity. The Economics and Econometrics of Innovation presents a valuable overview of the work of the world's most renowned experts in the field of innovation and technical change. It collects 22 outstanding contributions that reflect the results of the vast, worldwide research efforts and remind us of the importance of economic incentives in shaping and directing innovative activities. The volume presents an edited selection of papers that were first presented at the 10th International ADRES conference. One particular goal of this book is to bring out the complementary nature of the various approaches to innovation, and to facilitate in-depth dialogues both between microeconomists and macroeconomists, and between theoreticians and econometricians. General topics that are considered range from the economy-wide effects of innovation on growth and employment to the variation of individual firm innovative performance; from the analysis of networks and standardization to the role of intellectual property rights and the assessment of knowledge spillovers. Besides the wealth of information presented in the chapters, readers of this volume will also appreciate the value of examining a single question from different angles and by using different methods.
Download or read book Politics Statistics and Weather Forecasting 1840 1910 written by Aitor Anduaga and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-07-12 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Weather forecasting is the most visible branch of meteorology and has its modern roots in the nineteenth century when scientists redefined meteorology in the way weather forecasts were made, developing maps of isobars, or lines of equal atmospheric pressure, as the main forecasting tool. This book is the history of how weather forecasting was moulded and modelled by the processes of nation-state building and statistics in the Western world.
Download or read book America by the Numbers written by Emmanuel Didier and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How new techniques of quantification shaped the New Deal and American democracy. When the Great Depression struck, the US government lacked tools to assess the situation; there was no reliable way to gauge the unemployment rate, the number of unemployed, or how many families had abandoned their farms to become migrants. In America by the Numbers, Emmanuel Didier examines the development in the 1930s of one such tool: representative sampling. Didier describes and analyzes the work of New Deal agricultural economists and statisticians who traveled from farm to farm, in search of information that would be useful for planning by farmers and government agencies. Didier shows that their methods were not just simple enumeration; these new techniques of quantification shaped the New Deal and American democracy even as the New Deal shaped the evolution of statistical surveys. Didier explains how statisticians had to become detectives and anthropologists, searching for elements that would help them portray America as a whole. Representative surveys were one of the most effective instruments for their task. He examines pre-Depression survey techniques; the invention of the random sampling method and the development of the Master Sample; and the application of random sampling by employment experts to develop the “Trial Census of Unemployment.”
Download or read book The World of Indicators written by Richard Rottenburg and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-09-15 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The twenty-first century has seen a further dramatic increase in the use of quantitative knowledge for governing social life after its explosion in the 1980s. Indicators and rankings play an increasing role in the way governmental and non-governmental organizations distribute attention, make decisions, and allocate scarce resources. Quantitative knowledge promises to be more objective and straightforward as well as more transparent and open for public debate than qualitative knowledge, thus producing more democratic decision-making. However, we know little about the social processes through which this knowledge is constituted nor its effects. Understanding how such numeric knowledge is produced and used is increasingly important as proliferating technologies of quantification alter modes of knowing in subtle and often unrecognized ways. This book explores the implications of the global multiplication of indicators as a specific technology of numeric knowledge production used in governance.
Download or read book The Political Economy of Public Finance written by Marc Buggeln and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-02-23 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines the major trends in public finance in developed capitalist countries since the oil crisis of 1973. That year's oil shock quickly became an economic crisis, putting an end to a period of very high growth rates and an era of easy finance. Tax protests and growing welfare costs often led to rising debt levels. The change to floating exchange rates put more power in the hand of markets, which corresponded with a growing influence of neo-liberal thinking. These developments placed state finances under considerable pressure, and leading scholars here examine how the wealthiest OECD countries responded to these challenges and the consequences for the distribution of wealth between the rich and the poor. As the case studies here make clear, there was no simple 'race to the bottom' in taxation and welfare spending: different countries opted for different solutions that reflected their political and economic structures.
Download or read book The Independence of Official Statistics written by Jean-Guy Prévost and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-12-11 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the independence of official statistics and describes the various legal and professional norms, institutional arrangements, instruments and practices that statisticians have developed over recent decades to protect their work from political interference. It argues that this ‘drive for independence’, which saw the replication of these norms, arrangements, and instruments across countries, was largely led by the international epistemic community of statisticians, and it identifies some of the paths and processes that enabled this drive. The study conducts an overall, multi-dimensional, and detailed comparative examination of the thirty-eight OECD countries’ norms, arrangements, and practices regarding the institutional and professional independence of official statistics. For that purpose, several dimensions have been surveyed and an index has been built that allows patterns and clusters to be uncovered among the OECD countries, shedding light on the variations that can be observed from one subgroup of countries to another. The issue of the independence of official statistics has been at the heart of several recent statistical controversies, including that of Greece’s debt, censuses in Canada and the United States, the Argentinian cost of living index, and some recent cases of resignation or dismissal of senior statisticians in various countries. Such independence has been a major topic of discussion in the epistemic community since the turn of the century, and concerns have also been addressed more widely, in the media. The subject of the book is particularly relevant as official statistics also play a significant role in monitoring the progress of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This book will appeal to anyone interested in the topic of official statistics and to students of government in general.
