scholarly journals Studying micro dynamics in civil wars: introduction

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roos Haer ◽  
Johannes Vüllers ◽  
Nils B. Weidmann
Keyword(s):  
Civil Wars ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Sovereign State ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Peace And Conflict Studies ◽  
Scientific Potential ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
The Individual

AbstractThis article introduces the special issue on the micro-level dynamics of civil wars. Until recently, most empirical work on these conflicts and their consequences has focused on the level of the sovereign state. In contrast, a micro-level approach is categorized by three distinct—albeit intertwined—features: a disaggregation by actors, time and space, interdisciplinarity, and the reliance on a set of different methods for the collection of data. The contributors to this special issue illustrate different approaches to the study of micro-level dynamics. The first part of the Special Issue provides new insights into the international level of civil war affects local conflict dynamics. The second part of the Special Issue is focused on the dynamics occurring at the group and the individual level. The diverse range of contributions to this Special Issue not only illustrate the scientific potential of the individual approaches to micro dynamics of armed conflict, but also the more general contributions that this kind of approach can offer to peace and conflict studies.

Beyond nudge: advancing the state-of-the-art of behavioural public policy and administration

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-23
Author(s):  
Benjamin Ewert ◽  
Kathrin Loer ◽  
Eva Thomann
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
The State ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Behavioural Research ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Individual Behaviour Change

This Special Issue features theoretical, methodological, and empirical advancements of the state-of-the-art in behavioural public policy and administration. In this introduction, we develop a behaviourally-informed, integrated conceptual model of the policy process that embeds individual attitudes and behaviour into context at the meso and macro level. We argue that behavioural approaches can be situated within a broader tradition of methodological individualism. Despite focusing on the micro level of policy processes, the contributions in this issue demonstrate that the behavioural study of public policy and administration can go beyond the individual level and give important insights into policy and societal outcomes. Our model enables us to draw more substantial lessons from behavioural research by moving beyond the verification of individual behaviour change. If based on a broad conceptual design and methodological pluralism, behavioural policies bear the potential to better understand, investigate and shape social outcomes.

Perceived marketization in Poland: Translating key concepts of institutional anomie theory to the micro level

2021 ◽  
pp. 147737082199685
Author(s):  
Jacek Bieliński ◽  
Andreas Hövermann
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Institutional Anomie Theory ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Anomie Theory ◽  
Representative Random Sample ◽  
Order Factor ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
The Individual

Institutional anomie theory (IAT) describes the potentially criminogenic impact of economically dominated social institutions. Although originally cast at the macro level of society, more efforts have emerged lately to capture the IAT framework on the individual level, resulting in a need for appropriate measures representing the presumed marketization processes. Our study addresses this need by offering a theoretically derived, comprehensive measure of the individual-level instantiation of an anomic culture depicted in IAT, that is, ‘marketized mentality’. Structural equation models testing for the single higher-order factor marketized mentality are calculated with a representative random sample of Poland’s population. Finally, the implications and limitations resulting from the analyses are discussed.

A CONNECTIONIST ABM OF SOCIAL CATEGORIZATION PROCESSES

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (06) ◽  
pp. 1250077 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIRK VAN ROOY
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Social Adaptation ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Extensive Research Program ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Over Time

This paper introduces a connectionist Agent-Based Model (cABM) that incorporates detailed, micro-level understanding of social influence processes derived from laboratory studies and that aims to contextualize these processes in such a way that it becomes possible to model multidirectional, dynamic influences in extended social networks. At the micro-level, agent processes are simulated by recurrent auto-associative networks, an architecture that has a proven ability to simulate a variety of individual psychological and memory processes [D. Van Rooy, F. Van Overwalle, T. Vanhoomissen, C. Labiouse and R. French, Psychol. Rev. 110, 536 (2003)]. At the macro-level, these individual networks are combined into a "community of networks" so that they can exchange their individual information with each other by transmitting information on the same concepts from one net to another. This essentially creates a network structure that reflects a social system in which (a collection of) nodes represent individual agents and the links between agents the mutual social influences that connect them [B. Hazlehurst, and E. Hutchins, Lang. Cogn. Process. 13, 373 (1998)]. The network structure itself is dynamic and shaped by the interactions between the individual agents through simple processes of social adaptation. Through simulations, the cABM generates a number of novel predictions that broadly address three main issues: (1) the consequences of the interaction between multiple sources and targets of social influence (2) the dynamic development of social influence over time and (3) collective and individual opinion trajectories over time. Some of the predictions regarding individual level processes have been tested and confirmed in laboratory experiments. In a extensive research program, data is currently being collected from real groups that will allow validating the predictions of cABM regarding aggregate outcomes.

scholarly journals Depression Dynamics Across a Decade: Daily Affective Experience and Yearly Depressive Symptomatology

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 607-607
Author(s):  
Raquael Joiner ◽  
C S Bergeman ◽  
Lijuan Wang ◽  
Guangjian Zhang ◽  
Kristin Valentino
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Dynamic Systems ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Intraindividual Change ◽  
Systems Perspective ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Affect States

Abstract Recent conceptualizations of depression and supporting empirical work suggests that elevations and allievations of depressive symptoms can be understood from a dynamic systems perspective. Specifically, depression is proposed to result from strong-feedback loops in a system comprised of highly interdependent component parts (e.g., affect states). Supporting this perspective, individual differences in emotional interia and strong connections across emotions at micro-level timescales have been consistently associated with individual differences in depressive symptomatology such that individuals with greater emotional inertia and cross-emotion relations show higher levels of depressive symptoms. Importantly, however, individual differences do not necessarily translate to intraindividual change. The present study explores whether emotional connectivity at the daily timescale differs within individuals across a ten-year span and how these associations relate to intraindividual changes in depressive symptomatology. The results of these individual-level analyses will help further a dynamic systems perspective of depression and help inform clinical interventions for depression.

scholarly journals Cross-sector dialogue for sustainability: to partner or not to partner?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celine Louche ◽  
Suzanne Young ◽  
Martin Fougère
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Resource Based View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Societal Context ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the topic and review the contributions of the special issue papers on cross-sector dialogue for sustainability. The paper also presents avenues for further research. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a review of the current literature on cross-sector partnership and dialogue. It explores the current issues in cross-sector partnerships through a discussion of the papers accepted for the special issue, their focus, findings and key contributions. Findings It highlights three main key research themes and learnings from the special issue papers: a high level of “hybridity” of collaboration forms, which involve important tensions; a need to understand partnership in its context and the importance of the individual level in cross-sector collaboration. Practical implications The authors call for attention to be paid to two forms of myopia: a tendency to view partnerships primarily from a resource-based view (without much attempt to measure societal impact) and a reluctance to be explicitly critical (despite empirical evidence of some suboptimal aspects of partnerships). Social implications The authors call for researchers to move away from a resource-based approach to one that is situated in exploring the value derived from partnerships in the broader societal context. The authors suggest some avenues for further research to move the discussion beyond the partnership imperative. Originality/value The paper outlines the need to critically revisit the very essence of what real partnership means and whether dialogue is really taking place.

Self-organizing behavior in collective choice models: laboratory experiments

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago Arango ◽  
Erik R. Larsen ◽  
Ann van Ackere
Keyword(s):  
System Performance ◽  
Information Diffusion ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Queuing Systems ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider queuing systems where captive repeat customers select a service facility each period. Are people in such a distributed system, with limited information diffusion, able to approach optimal system performance? How are queues formed? How do people decide which queue to join based on past experience? The authors explore these questions, investigating the effect of information availability, as well as the effect of heterogeneous facility sizes, at the macro (system) and micro (individual performance) levels. Design/methodology/approach – Experimental economics, using a queuing experiment. Findings – The authors find little behavioural difference at the aggregate level, but observe significant variations at the individual level. This leads the authors to the conclusion that it is not sufficient to evaluate system performance by observing average customer allocation and sojourn times at the different facilities; one also needs to consider the individuals’ performance to understand how well the chosen design works. The authors also observe that better information diffusion does not necessarily improve system performance. Practical/implications – Evaluating system performance based on aggregate behaviour can be misleading; however, this is how many systems are evaluated in practice, when only aggregate performance measures are available. This can lead to suboptimal system designs. Originality/value – There has been little theoretical or empirical work on queuing systems with captive repeat customers. This study contributes to the understanding of decision making in such systems, using laboratory experiments based on the cellular automata approach, but with all agents replaced by humans.

L. Levels of Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 155-158
Author(s):  
Mauro Caprioli ◽  
Claire Dupuy
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Unit Of Analysis ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Citizens Attitudes ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Level Of Analysis

This chapter studies levels of analysis. Research in the social sciences may be interested in subjects located at different levels of analysis. The level of analysis indicates the position at which social and political phenomena are analysed within a gradual order of abstraction or aggregation that is constructed analytically. Its definition and boundaries vary across social science disciplines. In general, the micro level refers to the individual level and focuses on citizens’ attitudes or politicians’ and diplomats’ behaviour. Analyses at the meso level focus on groups and organizations, like political parties, social movements, and public administrations. The macro level corresponds to structures that are national, social, economic, cultural, or institutional — for example, countries and national or supranational political regimes. The explanandum (what research aims to account for), the explanans (the explanations), the unit of analysis, and data collection can be located at different levels. The chapter then considers two main errors commonly associated with aggregation and levels of analysis: ecological and atomistic fallacies.

scholarly journals Young men doing business: Male bar prostitution in Berlin and Prague

Sexualities ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 1389-1408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Ellison ◽  
Ronald Weitzer
Keyword(s):  
Sex Workers ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Male Sex Workers ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
The Social ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Sexual Commerce

Studies of male sex workers are often confined to the individual level rather than exploring their work environment per se or the larger ecological context in which their business activities are embedded. We know relatively little, for example, about the spatial location of erotic worksites (apart from street-level work) or the interactional dynamics of sellers and clients within such settings. This article presents an ethnographic study of bars and clubs in Prague and Berlin where male sexual commerce is transacted. We find important differences between the cities in the social organization of the bars and in participants’ demographic characteristics. The analysis links our micro-level findings to the larger forces of labour migration and sex tourism, factors that differ between the two cases.

scholarly journals A micro-level analysis of the contagion effect: Evidence from the Kurdish conflict

2020 ◽  
pp. 002234332095738
Author(s):  
Zeki Sarigil
Keyword(s):  
Original Data ◽  
Conflict Zones ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Collective Actors ◽  
Familial Bonds ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Kurdish Conflict

The unit of analysis in almost all large-N studies on conflict contagion and diffusion is collective actors, such as states and ethnic groups or movements. Thus, contagion dynamics and processes at the individual level have been neglected. Using original data derived from a public opinion survey, this study examines the micro-level dynamics of contagion in the context of Turkey’s Kurdish conflict. The study suggests that transnational ethnic ties, and in particular, cross-border familial bonds and interactions, facilitate conflict contagion through several strategic and ideational mechanisms. First, transborder familial ties and interactions amplify the demonstration effect of ethnic-kin achievements in contiguous conflict countries. Second, cross-border familial bonds facilitate collaboration between cross-border co-ethnics. Finally, such ties to conflict zones with ethnic kin groups empower pan-ethnic identities. The empirical findings show that Kurds living in Turkey who have close relatives in nearby countries hosting conflicting ethnic-kin groups (i.e. Syria, Iraq, and Iran) have stronger ethnonationalist orientations and claims against the center. However, having close relatives elsewhere (e.g. Europe) does not generate the same impact. The Kurdish case evidences that contagion processes and dynamics might vary substantially across the members of a particular ethnic group. Hence, it is necessary to broaden the conventional focus on collective actors in conflict contagion research and pay greater attention to micro-level variables and factors.

scholarly journals Religiousness and existential insecurity: A cross-national comparative analysis on the macro- and micro-level

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franz Höllinger ◽  
Johanna Muckenhuber
Keyword(s):  
Final Section ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Life Conditions ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Level Analysis ◽  
Cross National

In Sacred and Secular (2011 [2004]) Norris and Inglehart argued that improvements in material living conditions and higher degrees of existential security lead to a decline in religiousness both on the macro-level of the comparison between countries and on the individual level. Since then, a number of studies have examined this relationship and confirmed the assumptions of the existential security thesis. This article revisits this thesis using data from the sixth wave of the World Values Survey (2010–2014). The multi-level analysis reveals two key results. Consistent with previous studies, a strong correlation was found between better life conditions and lower levels of religiousness on the macro-level. Individual life conditions and threatening experiences, however, have only a very small impact on religiousness. Possible explanations for the discrepancy between macro-level and micro-level results are discussed in the final section.

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