Thematic content analysis using supervised machine learning: An empirical evaluation using German online news

In recent years, two approaches to automatic content analysis have been introduced in the social sciences: semantic network analysis and supervised text classification. We argue that, although less linguistically sophisticated than semantic parsing techniques, statistical machine learning offers many advantages for applied communication research. By using manually coded material for training, supervised classification seamlessly bridges the gap between traditional and automatic content analysis. In this paper, we briefly introduce the conceptual foundations of machine learning approaches to text classification and discuss their application in social science research. We then evaluate their potential in an experimental study in which German online news was coded with established thematic categories. Moreover, we investigate whether and how linguistic preprocessing can improve classification quality. Results indicate that supervised text classification is generally robust and reliable for some categories, but may even be useful when it fails.     

Sociology,history, and the abstract perspective

Our discussion is initiated as a response to the claim that sociologists should become “more historical” in their orientations. The issues are old, but every generation frames its own response. Our response is developed by appeal to intuitive convictions arising out of experience with mathematical models of social phenomena. We make a distinction between historical and sociological processes at a metaphysical level; that is, these two types of processes exemplify different categories of existence. Next we make this point of view concrete by using the idea of a model of social mobility as an example. The discussion then centers on problems related to the search for general laws. We frame a “fallacy of misplaced generality” and against this background discuss how the idea of scope conditions, used in conjunction with formal models, leads to a method for coping with the difficulties inherent in the effort to frame general sociological theories.     

The physics of the city: pedestrians dynamics and crowding panic equation in Venezia

In this paper we present the physics of the city, a new approach in order to investigate the urban dynamics. In particular we focus on the citizens’ mobility observation and modeling. Being in principle the social dynamics not directly observable, our main idea is that observing the human mobility processes we can deduce some features and characteristics of social dynamics. We define the automata gas paradigm and we write a crowding equation able to predict, in a statistical sense, the threshold between a selforganized crowd and a chaotic one, which we interpret as the emergence of a possible panic scenario. We show also some specific results obtained on the Venezia pedestrian network. Firstly, analyzing the network we estimate the Venice complexity, secondly measuring the pedestrian flow on some bridges we find significant statistical correlations, and by the experimental data we design two different bridges flow profiles depending from the pedestrian populations. Furthermore considering a reduced portion of the city, i.e. Punta della Dogana, we build up a theoretical model via a Markov approach, with a stationary state solution. Finally implementing some individual characteristics of pedestrians, we simulate the flows finding a good agreement with the empirical distributions. We underline that these results can be the basis to construct an E-governance mobility system.     

Modelling mobility: the use of simulation to choose between near-equivalent models

The application of the log-linear model to frequency counts has rekindled interest in the traditional social mobility table. This recent literature is to a degree divided over several issues, including how to develop an acceptable model of mobility flows and how to choose between near-equivalent models which generate almost identical fitted counts but have different substantive implications. In reviewing some of these issues, we draw upon Goldthorpe's development of Hauser's “levels” model and present a general mobility model which, we argue on theoretical grounds, should be broadly applicable to modern industrial societies. We develop the model using Australian data, extend it to British and American mobility data, and use Monte Carlo methods to choose between alternative models. In developing our substantive interpretations of different models, we illustrate models that underfit, overfit, and adequately fit the observed mobility flows.     

Engagement in European social dialogue: an investigation into the role of social partner structural capacity

Despite the importance of social dialogue for the European social model, there has been little attention to the factors that account for social partner engagement with European social dialogue. On the basis of data from 28 European sectoral social dialogue committees, this article investigates structural factors that account for the conclusion of European sectoral social dialogue agreements. It is found that actors' organisational density is a necessary but not sufficient factor for successful European social dialogue and four different categories of sectoral social partner engagement with European social dialogue are identified.     

The conceptualisation and measurement of occupational hierarchies: a review, a proposal and some illustrative analyses

Occupational data are central to much research in the field of social stratification. Yet there is little consensus on how such data are most appropriately classified and scaled. We evaluate occupational scales currently in use on the basis of a fourfold typology. This cross-classifies scales, on the one hand, according to whether they are intended to be ??synthetic?? or ??analytic?? and, on the other, according to whether they are based on ??subjective?? or ??objective?? data. Focusing chiefly on issues of validity, we argue that scales of the analytic-objective type are those which, for most purposes, can be used to best advantage in stratification research. We illustrate our argument by applying scales of occupational earnings and occupational status in analyses of the worklife occupational mobility of men in Britain, using the data-set of the National Child Development Study.     

Residential mobility and social capital

This paper empirically investigates the role of social capital in households' residential mobility behavior by considering its spatial dimension. This study focuses on a household's social ties with people living nearby, which we refer to as its “local social capital.” Local social capital may deter residential mobility, because the resources stemming from them are location-specific and will be less valuable if a household moves. We conjecture that a household's possession of local social capital has a negative effect on its residential mobility, and this negative effect of local social capital may be stronger on long-distance mobility than on short-distance mobility. Our empirical investigation is based on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. We obtain evidence which is supportive of these conjectures.     

行业收入差距研究——基于不同行业分类的比较

行业收入差距日益扩大已经引起社会的普遍关注,了解行业收入差距的悬殊程度对于更好地解决收入分配不公问题具有非常重要的意义。以往的研究多以统计年鉴中的行业大类或行业门类收入作为分析对象,得到的结论不能全面反映行业收入差距的实际程度。本文尝试从产业、垄断程度、行业特征、人力资本、行业对外开放度五个方面综合评价确定了16个典型行业,并用5个测度指标对三种分类下的行业收入差距情况进行分析比较。     

The Role of Information and Influence in Social Networks

A bstract .   This article examines two mechanisms through which social networks are related to job mobility: (1) access to diverse sources of information about job openings and (2) nonredundant sources of influence. Using data on job changing and social networks among television station managers, we assess the extent to which job information and influence variables mediate the relationship between social network structure and getting a better job. Results indicate that there is an association between job mobility and having nonredundant contacts, but our measures of the information and influence mechanisms are not significant mediators. We conclude by reexamining the network-resource model that forms the basis for much of the research on the relationship between social networks and job mobility.     

Distance Association Models for the Analysis of Repeated Transition Frequency Tables

The present paper is concerned with the analysis of repeated transition frequency tables, for example, occupational mobility data measured in different cohorts. The association present in such a table will be modeled by a distance in Euclidean space. A large distance corresponds to a small association; a small distance corresponds to a large association. A more direct interpretation is that more transitions occur between categories that are close together in a social space. It is assumed that the same social structure (space) exists for the different slices (cohorts/time points) of a table, but that the dimensions of this space are weighted for the different slices, i.e., for each slice the dimensions are stretched or squeezed. We will propose a model, discuss an algorithm to obtain maximum likelihood estimates and apply the model to an empirical data set.     

Employment,Social Mobility and Neighbourhood Effects: The Case of Sweden

In science and in society at large, there is a big debate going on about the existence and potential impact of ‘neighbourhood effects’. The dominant question is: does the social composition of the neighbourhood have specific positive or negative effects on the career prospects of those who are living there? We seek to contribute to this debate by investigating the relationship between individual social mobility and the social composition of the residential environment. For that purpose we analysed new longitudinal Swedish data, which is available at the individual level. We particularly focused our attention on the employment careers of individuals in relation to the levels of employment or unemployment in their individual environments. Environment effects on social mobility were isolated, controlling for relevant variables that were available at the individual level. We were also able to control for changes in the environments over time. Individual longitudinal data could be used over the period 1991–9. The analyses revealed that their environment appears to have a moderate yet clear impact on the employment prospects of unemployed individuals. The academic relevance of the article is in its contribution to the theoretical underpinnings of the human–environment relationship; the societal relevance is to the area‐based policies and the housing policies aimed at social mixing, which are currently being developed in many places in the Western world.     

Review of Non-Independence,Asymmetry, Skew-Symmetry and Point-Symmetry Models in the Analysis of Social Mobility Data

A non-standard log-linear approach is employed to fit the class of non-independence,asymmetric, skew-symmetric and inclined point-symmetry models to intergenerationalmobility table. While these models are not new, our goal in this paper is to present theimplementation of the models that are discussed here using SAS PROC GENMOD. This approach is used to fit these class of models to the 6 × 6 Brazilian social mobility data which has received extensive consideration in the literature, as well as to the 9 × 9 mobility table of men in England and Wales. These are further extended to two 5 × 5 mobility tables of men in the US aged 20–64. Parsimonious models are sought for each table and expressions for estimated odds-ratios under the appropriate models are provided based on our approach.     

Severity of material deprivation in Spanish regions and the role of the European Structural Funds

Material deprivation has recently affected households with worrying pressure. In order to evaluate the degree of this affliction, we build categories of deprivation with increasing intensity, using the 2014–2018 EU-SILC cross-sectional data for households in Spanish regions. We explore household characteristics and regional heterogeneity associated with the relative risk ratios of falling into such categories. Moreover, the paper assesses whether two axes of the European Structural and Investment Funds (specifically, those allocated to the objective of social inclusion and sustainable and quality employment) matter at weakening such risks. Only social inclusion funds are strongly associated with a lower relative risk of material deprivation. This might be due to a regional misalignment and/or to an inefficient use of the funds.     

Analysis of deviance and of social classes — the impact of methodological research

In an analysis of deviance and social classes, an original methodology is used as a means of progress in the theoretical domain, which seeks a resolution of the now traditional consensus vs. conflict debate by introducing two hitherto ignored aspects: (1) this debate cannot be clarified by reference to norms or values that are abstractly described, but only in relation to the legitimacy of the intervention of a particular social institution as the result of a particular problematic behavior; and (2) the comprehension of these phenomena and their social interpretation necessitates an understanding of their meaning and of the ideological configurations that are the framework in which these judgements of institutional legitimacy are made. Indeed, this second aspect constitutes the working hypothesis of the analysis, using multiple-choice questionnaire data (N=804) concerning the social representation of deviance which are analyzed by an original method of hierarchically ascending classification analysis, called cross-classification. This method, which crosses an automatic classification analysis of the individuals with a similar analysis of the variables, produces significant nodes within the data that determine and describe the five archetypes of social representation of deviance. These significant nodes or archetypes are then analyzed further with the application of a factorial correspondence analysis.     

Evaluation of sustainability reporting practices in Poland

This paper examines voluntary sustainability reporting practices in Poland. The number of these types of reports published by companies from year to year increases however the form, content and quality of these reports varies. Disclosure of economic, social and environmental performance demonstrates social responsibility of a company and therefore, the author first has analysed in this paper the level of implementation of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) concept in Polish companies. Then the attention was focused on sustainability reports published in 2011. The questionnaire to evaluate the quality and type of the disclosed information in sustainability reports consisted of twenty three criteria grouped in five categories. The author discusses the overall results as well as results obtained in the particular categories. The analyses indicate that sustainability reporting is not widespread among companies in Poland. On the other hand, increasing demands/expectations from stakeholders in this direction are not observed. In 2011, 32 reports were published, 6 of them have been audited by independent organizations and 19 have been developed in accordance with the GRI guidelines (Global reporting initiative sustainability reporting guidelines). Corporate social responsibility in Poland is a relatively new concept and although all events suggestive of the development of this concept, it is still little known and rarely implemented among entrepreneurs. The results of the study indicate that sustainability reporting practices in Poland, despite a few good examples and valuable disclosures, are at its early stage of development.     

科学划分我国城市的职能类型 建立分类指导的扩大内需政策

基于我国第五次人口普查和第二次基本单位普查数据(企业级),综合采用聚类分析和判别分析等方法,科学划分了我国649个县级以上城市的职能类型,将其划分为3个大类、15个亚类和37个职能组。建议下一步以分类结果为参考,以不同职能组城市为单元建立扩大内需投资效果评价和信息反馈机制,重点以大区级和省区级综合性城市为扩大内需着力点,积极发展城市群,促进我国宏观经济平稳启动。     

北京市人口市域内迁居原因分析

介绍了迁居原因的分类体系。依托2008年对北京全境大规模电话调查所获数据,描述了北京居民迁居原因的总体分布特征、时间变动特征和空间模式特征。     

Talent or Not? Employee Reactions to Talent Identification

In this article, we examine the effect of talent identification on employee attitudes. Building on social exchange theory, we analyze the association between employees' perceptions about whether or not they have been formally identified as “talent” and the following attitudinal outcomes: commitment to increasing performance demands, building skills, and supporting strategic priorities; identification with the unit and the multinational enterprise; and turnover intentions. Our analyses of 769 managers and professionals in nine Nordic multinational corporations reveal a number of differences between employees who perceive that they have been identified as “talent” and those who either perceive that they have not been identified or do not know whether they have been identified. We found only limited differences between the two latter categories.     

Intragenerational mobility and the concept of the equalization of longer-term incomes: An estimation for a developing country

This paper calculates the degree of intragenerational income mobility and carries out the decomposition of the influence of observable characteristics on income mobility. Using the concept of mobility as the equalization of longer-term incomes, we quantify the class of measures called the E index using administrative records for social security contributions of formally employed young adults in Colombia between 2010 and 2018. In addition, we use the Recentered Influence Function (RIF) decomposition method to extend its application to the E index and decompose the influence of observable characteristics on our estimates. Our findings indicate Colombia's mobility is disequalizing. We also show that female mobility is even more disequalizing than male mobility. Our decomposition shows that disequalizing mobility depends on employees' type of contract, economic sector, and location.     

财务景气监测预警指标的分类方法及运用

财务景气监测预警指标选择的好坏是决定财务景气监测预警体系科学性强弱的一个至关重要的因素。以万科原始财务数据为基础,运用峰谷对应法、时差相关分析法、K-L信息量法、聚类分析法和马场法等五种分类方法,把企业财务景气指标分成先行、同步和滞后三类,使得先行、同步、滞后指标的确立有了科学依据。