Notes on social indicators: Promises and potential
TL;DR: The concept of social indicators, however, continues to be diffuse and there are exaggerated claims of the utility of indicators as discussed by the authors, which limit the potential of indicators for such tasks as priority setting and program evaluation.
Abstract: Widespread interest in social indicators—indeed, what may be characterized as a new social movement—has developed among both social scientists and policymakers. The concept of social indicators, however, continues to be diffuse and there are exaggerated claims of the utility of indicators. Deficiencies in both conceptualization and method limit the potential of indicators for such tasks as priority setting and program evaluation. Moreover, the development of social accounts, based on the analogy with economic accounts, is fallacious. Redirection in effort and more realistic claims can reduce the possibility of an eventual decline in work on indicators and enhance the value of the movement for both policymakers and social scientists concerned with the analysis and prediction of social change.
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01 Jan 1976
TL;DR: In this article, the city of Stockholm has a model of its whole metropolitan area kept in its planning department and each new proposal is modeled on this context model so that its effect can be foreseen, but the model is in white plaster, a medium that Carl-Axel Acking at the University of Lund has shown not give a very realistic reproduction.
Abstract: MODELS From the earliest use of models in the Renaissance, models have been among the most common ways of simulating future environments, although they did not really come into their own until the simplicity of detail and the complexity of spatial configuration characteristic of modern architecture made them a more compatible medium than elevational drawings. Models made by architects and urban designers usually emphasize structure, space, and massing rather than experience. Materials are of unpainted cardboard, wood, plastic, or polyurethane, sometimes pleasant textures in themselves but quite different from the ultimate surfaces of the buildings. Glass windows are usually omitted, cars are deliberately simplified to avoid distraction from the buildings. Street furniture and other details are left out. Also, because they are worked on from overhead, roofscapes have been more important than groundscapes. Surrounding buildings, even more abstract, are left gray or white to set off the new proposals. Several cities use models as planning tools. The city of Stockholm has a model of its whole metropolitan area kept in its planning department. Each new proposal is modeled on this context model so that its effect can be foreseen. Unfortunately, the model is in white plaster, a medium that Carl-Axel Acking at the University of Lund has shown not to give a very realistic reproduction (Acking, 1974). But for professionals used to abstractions, the model is no doubt useful. Models are increasingly used in community-participation projects, where their flexibility and tangible presence make them more attractive than drawings. Once the components are made, it is also possible for unskilled people to engage in design (Figure 8).
386 citations
01 Jan 1998
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Cites background from "Notes on social indicators: Promise..."
...…of economic modeling since: 1) social goals were more ambiguous than economic ones, 2) social problems were less clearly understood than economic ones, and 3) the theoretical foundations of economics were much clearer than those underlying the analysis of social problems (Sheldon and Freeman 1970)....
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104 citations
TL;DR: The American Occupational Structure (AOS) as discussed by the authors is the classic source of empirical information on the patterns of occupational achievement in American society and is renowned for its pioneering methods of statistical analysis as well as for its far-reaching conclusions about social stratification and occupational mobility in the United States.
Abstract: This book is the classic source of empirical information on the patterns of occupational achievement in American society. Based on an unusually comprehensive set of data, it is renowned for its pioneering methods of statistical analysis as well as for its far-reaching conclusions about social stratification and occupational mobility in the United States. The American Occupational Structure received the Sorokin Award of the American Sociological Association in recognition of its significant contribution to the social sciences.
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01 Jan 1967
TL;DR: The American Occupational Structure is renowned for its pioneering methods of statistical analysis as well as for its far-reaching conclusions about social stratification and occupational mobility in the United States.
4,232 citations