Showing papers in "Revista Internacional De Sociologia in 2012"
Journal Article•
43 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the complex social practices it is made of as well as the ethics of responsibility which underpin it, all of it, according to Gilligan, constructed through the long process of women's socialization.
Abstract: Care has appeared as a new dimension of social reality and research field, until not so long ago invisible. Feminist theory has identified the complex social practices it is made of as well as the ethics of responsibility which underpin it, all of it, according to gilligan, constructed through the long process of women’s socialization. When men become involved in care, its female specificity is challenged and new questions on gender identity arise. On the other hand the dichotomous character of gender is discussed by authors like Fausto-Esterling or Butler; not just women but also men are problematised. If in the forties of the past century Simone de Beauvoir goes ahead sociological constructivism when she asks how is a woman made, at the beginning of the 21st it makes sense to ask what is a man.
43 citations
TL;DR: Citizens' perceptions of political processes: A critical evaluation of consistency and survey items as discussed by the authors, which is based on a survey conducted by the American Public Opinion Survey (APOS).
Abstract: Citizens' perceptions of political processes : A critical evaluation of consistency and survey items
34 citations
TL;DR: The authors compare the distribucion del trabajo domestico in parejas espanolas casadas and cohabitantes, contrastando las hipotesis sobre recursos relativos frente a la construccion de genero and considerando si el tipo de pareja influye en la igualdad del reparto de tareas.
Abstract: Este articulo compara la distribucion del trabajo domestico en las parejas espanolas casadas y cohabitantes, contrastando las hipotesis sobre recursos relativos frente a la construccion de genero y considerando si el tipo de pareja influye en la igualdad del reparto de tareas. Para examinar el grado de igualdad, se considera no solo la contribucion de cada miembro de la pareja al tiempo dedicado a las tareas, sino tambien quien hace que: ciertas tareas son mas restrictivas que otras y se investiga si hay diferencias de genero y pareja asociadas a ellas. Los datos estudiados proceden de la Encuesta de Empleo del Tiempo (2002-2003) y se analizan mediante modelos de regresion lineal. Nuestros resultados muestran que las parejas cohabitantes tienen una division del trabajo domestico mas igualitaria, y las parejas homosexuales una division caracteristica.
29 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the Finnish National Election Study 2011 was used to assess the extent to which people express coherent preferences on these matters, and if preferences are in line with expectations in previous, rather scattered research.
Abstract: The current state of research does not tell us much about citizens’ expectations of political decision making Most surveys allow respondents to evaluate how the current system is working, but do not inquire about alternative political decision-making procedures The lack of established survey items can be explained by the fact that radical changes in decision-making procedures have been hard to envisage, but also by a general scepticism regarding people’s ability to form opinions on these matters Political processes are, without doubt, complex matters that do not lend themselves very well to simplistic survey questions Moreover, previous research has convincingly shown that most people in general have difficulties forming single, coherent and stable attitudes even towards far more straightforward political issues In order to determine if trying to grasp attitudes towards political decision-making in future empirical studies can be considered a fruitful endeavour, this study sets out to critically assess the extent to which people express coherent preferences on these matters, and if preferences are in line with expectations in previous, rather scattered research The study is based on the Finnish National Election Study 2011; a study which, contrary to most other election studies, includes a rich variety of survey items on the topic, and utilises a combination of strategies in order to explore patterns in the opinions held by citizens
26 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a simple task for eliciting attitudes toward risky choice, the Sabater-Grande and Georgantzis (SGG) lottery-panel task, which consists in a series of lotteries constructed to compensate riskier options with higher risk-return trade-offs.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a simple task for eliciting attitudes toward risky choice, the Sabater-Grande and Georgantzis (SGG) lottery-panel task, which consists in a series of lotteries constructed to compensate riskier options with higher risk-return trade-offs. Using Principal Component Analysis technique, we show that the SGG lotterypanel task is capable of capturing two dimensions of individual risky decision making: subjects’ average willingness to choose risky projects and their sensitivity towards variations in the return to risk. We report results from a large dataset obtained from the implementation of the SGG lottery-panel task and discuss regularities and the desirability of its bi-dimensionality both for describing behaviour under uncertainty and explaining behaviour in other contexts.
19 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze corporate interlock networks in various countries to empirically derive a typology of corporate networks that suggest different theories of the organization of power, and identify an "elitist" corporate network based on unity, centralization and control; and a "pluralist" hierarchical corporate networks based on members' autonomy, decentralization and communication ties.
Abstract: This research arises from the interest in understanding how power is organized around the world. We study the corporate power structure or corporate network when firms share directors (interlocking directorates). We analyze corporate interlock networks in various countries to empirically derive a typology of corporate networks that suggest different theories of the organization of power. We identify an “elitist” corporate network based on unity, centralization and control; and a “pluralist” corporate network based on members’ autonomy, decentralization and communication ties. The results suggest avenues of research to find out how networks are configured and what impacts have on society.
18 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared the levels of political interest among the youth of today with those of people who were young some years ago, as well as with the level of interest of the European youth.
Abstract: It has been often claimed that the political apathy of Spanish youth is alarming. This study tests that assessment and tries to find out whether political interest among young citizens is different with respect to European youth and if it is worsening in the last years. The levels of political interest among the youth of today are compared with those of people who were young some years ago, as well as with the levels of political interest of the European youth. The hypothesis of the progressive depolitization of the youth is tested following a multivariate analysis. The article concludes that current Spanish youth is only significantly less interested if compared to the youth of the eighties, which constitutes the actual exception to the rule.
17 citations
Journal Article•
16 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the comparative analysis of democratic innovations could be enhanced significantly through the application of the relatively novel technique of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).
Abstract: While there has been a proliferation of academic interest in ‘democratic innovations’, most empirical analysis tends to rely on single case studies. Very little attention has been given to the comparative analysis of innovations, in particular the conditions under which they emerge and are sustained. Recent studies of participatory budgeting (PB) have begun to utilise cross-case analysis in an attempt to explain divergent outcomes. This paper argues that the comparative analysis of democratic innovations could be enhanced significantly through the application of the relatively novel technique of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). A small-N study of PBs is offered to identify the potential (and pitfalls) of using fsQCA to evaluate the conditions under which such an innovation is institutionalised effectively
15 citations
TL;DR: In the context of the privatization of religion, still ongoing, many contemporary religious biographies seem to be motivated by the individual search for a religious alternative far away from the repertoires of beliefs, rituals and institutions of traditional religion.
Abstract: In the context of the privatization of religion, still ongoing, many contemporary religious biographies seem to be motivated by the individual search for a religious alternative far away from the repertoires of beliefs, rituals and institutions of traditional religion. Following the increasing use of this term by many social actors at least since the sixties of the twentieth century, part of the Sociology of Religion has referred to the alternative religiosity as Spirituality (Wood 2009) (Heelas 2008) (McGuire 2008) (Flanagan 2007) (Giordan 2007). The new models of spirituality account both for the decay of traditional forms of religiosity (based on the community of faith, the participation in collective rituals and the congregational identity) and for the spreading of a new spiritual subjectivism, whose high individualism have moved some authors to assert that a reconstitution of collective religiosity is impossible, as Steve Bruce (1996) and Daniele Hervieu-Leger (2003) have argued. This paper tries to explore the possibilities of this theoretical framework analyzing some discourses, discourses and practices of Buddhist converts in Spain, who have previously developed an extensive spiritual ride through several varieties of the so-called New Age milieu, the most important style of religious fragmentation and subjective revolution in the religious fields.
TL;DR: This paper reviewed the literature on determinants of ethnic/national self-identities and self-esteem as a prelude to examining these outcomes among a large, statistically representative sample of second generation adolescents in Madrid and Barcelona.
Abstract: We review the literature on determinants of ethnic/national self-identities and self-esteem as a prelude to examining these outcomes among a large, statistically representative sample of second generation adolescents in Madrid and Barcelona. While these psycho-social outcomes are malleable, they still represent important dimensions of immigrant adaptation and can have significant consequences both for individual mobility and collective mobilizations. Current theories are largely based on data from the United States and other Anglophone countries. The availability of a new large Spanish survey allows us to test those theories in an entirely different socio-cultural context. In addition to having data on close to seven thousand second generation youths, the study includes a survey of the parents, allowing us to examine directly how parental factors affect adolescent psycho-social outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications of results are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the concept of strategies of resistance is proposed as an interesting insight for the study of family farmers' practices, because it allows accounting for the contradictory relationships they establish with the sociotechnical regime currently dominant in agricultural production as well as with the processes of transformation experienced by rural areas that are not strictly linked to the agrarian question.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to make a contribution to the discussion of some of the approaches for the research on one of the key actors of rural sociology, the family farmers. The frame of emergence of these perspectives is considered, as well as the methods and analytical dimensions they privilege. Their relative strengths, gaps and problems to be solved are also evaluated. The concept of “strategies of resistance” is proposed as an interesting insight for the study of family farmers’ practices, because it allows accounting for the contradictory relationships they establish with the sociotechnical regime currently dominant in agricultural production as well as with the processes of transformation experienced by rural areas that are not strictly linked to the agrarian question. Certain precautions should be taken, however, so as not to reify the notion of strategy or to allocate a “resistance” logic to the whole set of practices deployed by these producers.
TL;DR: This paper reviewed the experimental economics literature on gender differences concerning four salient subjects: risk aversion, trust, deception and leadership, and summarized the main characteristics of the experiments and point out the main results related to gender differences.
Abstract: This paper reviews the experimental economics literature on gender differences concerning four salient subjects: risk aversion, trust, deception and leadership. We review both experiments conducted in a laboratory and field experiments. We summarize very briefly the main characteristics of the experiments we review and point out the main results related to gender differences. The vast majority of the articles we have revised document gender differences in behavior; differences which could be explained by sex-role stereotypes which could be formed even in early stages of life and/or hormonal differences such as the female hormone oxytocin or estrogen.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed strike activity in Spain with the aim of developing an explanation of its evolution and its main causal mechanisms, showing that the sharp decline in the levels of industrial conflict recorded during the last fifteen years is attributable to a shift in the mode of distribution of the income from the production sphere, where the strike is the main mechanism of pressure, to the political arena where the modes of acting are not limited to the strike.
Abstract: Although Spain has been one of the european countries with greater strike activity during the last thirty years, empirical research in this field is unusually low. In this work, strike activity in Spain is analyzed with the aim of developing an explanation of its evolution and its main causal mechanisms. The analysis shows that the sharp decline in the levels of industrial conflict recorded during the last fifteen years is attributable to a shift in the mode of distribution of the income from the production sphere, where the strike is the main mechanism of pressure, to the political arena where the modes of acting are not limited to the strike.
TL;DR: A correlation between levels of strategic reasoning and activity in a neural network related to mentalizing is found, i.e. the ability to think about other’s thoughts and mental states is linked to the higher level of reasoning about others.
Abstract: Bounded rational behaviour is commonly observed in experimental games and in real life situations. Neuroeconomics can help to understand the mental processing underlying bounded rationality and out-of-equilibrium behaviour. Here we report results from recent studies on the neural basis of limited steps of reasoning in a competitive setting —the beauty contest game. We use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the neural correlates of human mental processes in strategic games. We apply a cognitive hierarchy model to classify subject’s choices in the experimental game according to the degree of strategic reasoning so that we can identify the neural substrates of different levels of strategizing. We found a correlation between levels of strategic reasoning and activity in a neural network related to mentalizing, i.e. the ability to think about other’s thoughts and mental states. Moreover, brain data showed how complex cognitive processes subserve the higher level of reasoning about others. We describe how a cognitive hierarchy model fits both behavioural and brain data.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the rates of delay discounting among obese people treated surgically and belonging to an association of those interested in controlling their weight and analyze whether socioeconomic status and personality traits explain the existing differences.
Abstract: The main goal of this article is to investigate the rates of delay discounting among obese people treated surgically and belonging to an association of those interested in controlling their weight. We also analyze whether socio-economic status and personality traits explain the existing differences. rates of delay discounting are elicited using real monetary incentives in an economic experiment where subjects are asked to make several choices between a smaller, more immediate reward and larger, more delayed rewards. personality traits are examined using the Five Factor model. interestingly, our results show that obese people display lower discount rates than the reference group. these differences can not be explained by personality traits. We argue that obese people do not have to show larger discount rates. in fact, awareness and commitment, rather than their current bmi, seem to play a more important role in determining this parameter.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed how Internet use affects political knowledge gaps due to education and to political interest in Spain and found that frequent Internet users are more knowledgeable about politics than non-users, and that Internet use increases knowledge more for the highly educated than for citizens with lower levels of education.
Abstract: Media availability and fragmentation and the resulting possibilities of content selection have risen dramatically with the expansion of new digital media. Previous research has found that this may increase knowledge gaps among citizens with different resources and motivations. This article analyses how Internet use affects political knowledge gaps due to education and to political interest in Spain. As expected, frequent Internet users are more knowledgeable about politics than non-users. Furthermore, Internet use increases knowledge more for the highly educated than for citizens with lower levels of education. Thus, the political knowledge gap related to education seems to be growing with the introduction of new media. However, the knowledge gap between citizens with high and low levels of political interest is smaller for frequent Internet users than for non-users.
These findings provide a complex picture and partially contradict the pessimistic theory about the impact of
increasing media choice on political knowledge.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the co-occurrence of risk behaviors among Spanish adolescents, such as sexual activity, the use of alcohol and other drugs, violent conduct and behaviors related to driving mopeds or scooters.
Abstract: This work examines the co-occurrence of risk behaviors among Spanish adolescents. The analyzed behaviors were sexual activity, the use of alcohol and other drugs, violent conduct and behaviors related to driving mopeds or scooters. The sample consisted of 4,091 adolescents between the ages of 13 to 18, all of them enrolled in one of the four compulsory years of secondary education, the approximate equivalents of the 7th to 10th grades in the US educational system. Cluster analysis indicates that there are four risk profiles, one of which is the profile with the greatest risk and the highest co-occurrence of risk behaviors. This group represents 13% of the sample and is noteworthy for using illegal drugs, driving under the influence of drugs and other activities carried out under the influence of alcohol. Differences have been found among the various profiles according to sociodemographic characteristics such as sex, grade, perception of the family’s economic situation and ethnicity. The findings are discussed and some suggestions are given for prevention intervention.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a framework to rationalize the connection between pain anticipation and impatience, and show that individuals with lower time discount factors are more prone to suffer pain in advance.
Abstract: This paper deals with pain anticipation experienced before medical procedures Our experimental results show that individuals with lower time discount factors are more prone to suffer pain in advance We provide a framework to rationalize the connection between pain anticipation and impatience In this set up, more impatient subjects, who only value very near events, mainly take into account the present negative effects of medical procedures (the costs), whereas more patient individuals have a net positive valuation of medical events,given that they are able to value both the cost incurred now and all the benefits to be accrued in the future
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented the hypotheses that this legislation is the result both of a path dependency on socio-economic and institutional factors that have come about since the 1980s and of intense negotiating processes between the different social stakeholders involved by means of the setting up of advocacy coalitions.
Abstract: Law 39/2006 amounts to an episode of fundamental change in the social policy of long term care. This article advances the hypotheses that this legislation is the result both of a path dependency on socio-economic and institutional factors that have come about since the 1980s and of intense negotiating processes between the different social stakeholders involved by means of the setting up of advocacy coalitions. To prove these hypotheses, analysis is made of the role of those stakeholders in the development of the legislation, and a tentative assessment is offered of its results, challenges and uncertainties to date. To this end, 17 in-depth interviews were conducted with strategic social stakeholders between October 2007 and July 2008 on the basis of a semi-structured questionnaire and complemented by an analysis of secondary and documentary sources.
TL;DR: A brief overview of the experimental economics literature on social preferences can be found in this article, where the authors focus on social dilemma games and want to communicate two main messages: first, research in experimental economics has produced abundant evidence that illustrates the social components of people's preferences and second, social sanctions of different types play an important role in facilitating cooperative behavior.
Abstract: We present a brief overview of the experimental economics literature on social preferences. In numerous experiments, economically incentivized subjects are willing to sacrifice part of their material earnings to compensate the kind behavior of others, or will be willing to reciprocate at a non-negligible cost, or even pay a positive price for punishing the behavior of selfish individuals. All these actions are labeled as social in economics because there is no apparent way to reconcile them with any reasonable form of pure self-interest. We focus on social dilemma games and want to communicate two main messages. First, research in experimental economics has produced abundant evidence that illustrates the social components of people’s preferences. Second, social sanctions of different types play an important role in facilitating cooperative behavior.
TL;DR: In this article, a case-study of a participatory budget in Rome, the authors argue that ethnography, based on a praxeologic and process approach, can offer broader results on actors' learning in participatory devices than the cognitive effects generally emphasized.
Abstract: The study of the individual effects of participation has mainly focused on the impact of deliberation on actors’ preferences, mostly based on quantitative and experimental research. I argue here that ethnography, based on a praxeologic and process approach, can offer broader results on actors’ learning in participatory devices than the cognitive effects generally emphasized. Grounded in a case-study of a participatory budget in Rome, the research shows participation allows learning new skills and civic habits but may also bring about a greater distrust with politics. Explaining the learning process, the paper stresses the different learning potential of participatory institutions. A condition for the durability of the effects observed is that participation be repeated over time. This requires integration within the institution, which happens for only a few; the majority of participants being disappointed stop participating. Speaking the language of the institution, some participants are however integrated enough to acquire further civic skills and knowledge, and even to endure a politicization process. Finally, the study of actors’ long-term trajectories allows drawing conclusions on the social conditions of civic bifurcation. Ethnography thereby allows grasping the long-term consequences of civic engagement.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyse the effects of different data collection strategies in the study of local participatory experiences in a region of Spain (Andalusia) and examine the divergences and similarities between the data collected using different methods, as well as the implications for the reliability of the data.
Abstract: In this article we analyse the effects of different data collection strategies in the study of local participatory experiences in a region of Spain (Andalusia) We examine the divergences and similarities between the data collected using different methods, as well as the implications for the reliability of the data We have collected participatory experiences through two parallel processes: a survey of municipalities and web content mining The survey of municipalities used two complementary strategies: an online questionnaire and a CATI follow-up for those municipalities that had not answered our first online contact attempt Both processes (survey and data mining) were applied to the same sample of municipalities, but provided significantly different images of the characteristics of Andalusia’s participatory landscape The goal of this work is to discuss the different types of biases introduced by each data collection procedure and their implications for substantive analyses
TL;DR: In this article, a reflexive approach on the relations between research and action in participation studies is developed, where bridges are numerous between academic, political and militant fields, and the impact of the close links between sociologists and actors on the methods and results of the research and reciprocally the role of sociology in the development of participatory practices.
Abstract: This paper develops a reflexive approach on the relations between research and action in participation studies, where bridges are numerous between academic, political and militant fields. It aims at analysing the impact of the close links between sociologists and actors on the methods and results of the research and, reciprocally, the role of sociology in the development of participatory practices. Relying on Michael Burawoy's reflection on "public sociology", on our own research experience in an association and other works, we defined five ways to carry out research on participation in collaboration with the actors. Beyond a reflection on the social reception of our researches, the challenge is to develop a critical and committed sociology on participation, to contribute to the political debate and to the public action from a critical viewpoint.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed a sample of 692 women in LAt between 20 and 79 years proceeding from estudio 2,639, Fecundidad y valores en la Espana del siglo XXI elaborated by the CiS in 2006.
Abstract: The phenomenon of the Living Apart together (LAt) names partnerships that do not live habitually in the same residence. in Spain this phenomenon has increased in the last years as consequence of the retard in the familiar emancipation. nevertheless, this conceptualization groups into social very diverse realities. this study analyzes a sample of 692 women in LAt between 20 and 79 years proceeding from estudio 2,639, Fecundidad y valores en la Espana del siglo XXI elaborated by the CiS in 2006. in Spain there are 8% of women in this situation, of which 60% can be considered to be engagements. this phenome non concerns all the marital statuses, with social characteristics and different attitudes. There are 11% of “alternative” LAT to the conventional unions. They identify as the principal person of the home and reject the marriage; his profile answers to women of medium age, work independent and with children.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the comparative analysis of democratic innovations could be enhanced significantly through the application of the relatively novel technique of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), and a small-N study of participatory budgeting is offered to identify the potential (and pitfalls) of using fsQCA to evaluate the conditions under which such an innovation is institutionalised effectively.
Abstract: While there has been a proliferation of academic interest in ‘democratic innovations’, most empirical analysis tends to rely on single case studies. Very little attention has been given to the comparative analysis of innovations, in particular the conditions under which they emerge and are sustained. Recent studies of participatory budgeting (PB) have begun to utilise cross-case analysis in an attempt to explain divergent outcomes. This paper argues that the comparative analysis of democratic innovations could be enhanced significantly through the application of the relatively novel technique of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). A small- N study of PBs is offered to identify the potential (and pitfalls) of using fsQCA to evaluate the conditions under which such an innovation is institutionalised effectively.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, a basic analytical proposal is presented to explain the importance of local political opportunities structures feminization, which is applied to the Spanish case using a representative survey among municipalities.
Abstract: The analysis of responsiveness of local governments to associations and social movements has been a central issue in the analysis of local socio-political dynamics. Nevertheless, women’s associations are still a forgotten actor in these analyses, despite the importance of this kind of analyses at national level. In this paper a basic analytical proposal is presented to explain the importance of local political opportunities structures feminization. This proposal is applied to the Spanish case using a representative survey among municipalities. The results show the importance of political opportunities structures feminization as women presence among local councilors.