摘要:

The following essay explores the consequences of American sociology's commitment to the value, “justice for all” Concentrating on the idea of substantive justice, the article assesses consequences for the generation of sociological knowledge, the teaching of sociology, and sociology's place in the development of public policy. Several conclusions are drawn about the nature of justice and the practice of sociology. Sociological knowledge is viewed as particularistic. The teaching of sociology competes with other disciplines in curriculum politics in American higher education. Sociology, properly taught, has much to offer; its contribution to public policy suggests a strong respect for other value systems and a recognition of global interdependence.

ISSN:0430-0696    

DOI:10.1093/sf/74.1.1

出版商:The University of North Carolina Press    

年代:1995

数据来源: OUP

摘要:

We generate a number of hypotheses about face-to-face groups using the energy distribution principle: the frequency of an event is inversely related to the amount of energy expended in that event. The principle predicts that (1) the size of groups will be inversely related to the frequency of their occurrence; (2) at any group size, the composition of social positions will be less heterogeneous than chance; and, (3) as group size increases, observed compositional homogeneity will decline at a slower rate than chance. We test these hypotheses using data on more than 100,000 naturally occurring, public, face-to-face groups gathered in sampling sweeps through two communities over a three-year period. The data support the hypotheses and yield interesting differences in the strength of sex and race heterogeneity. We discuss the findings as they relate to the general energy distribution principle and to other sociological perspectives.

ISSN:0430-0696    

DOI:10.1093/sf/74.1.15

出版商:The University of North Carolina Press    

年代:1995

数据来源: OUP

摘要:

Using analyses of mass communication and research methodology, this article assesses the validity of the postmodernist critique for sociology. These analyses locate various weaknesses and inconsistencies in the critique. Three hypotheses are proposed to account for the tolerance the critique receives from many sociologists despite its recognized inadequacies. Some implications for the discipline of the factors involved in those hypotheses are discussed. The analysis concludes that sociologists are unduly tolerant of and responsive to such critiques.

ISSN:0430-0696    

DOI:10.1093/sf/74.1.53

出版商:The University of North Carolina Press    

年代:1995

数据来源: OUP

摘要:

Random samples have been used to link social support to a diversity of positive outcomes. When viewed within an interaction system, however, social support appears within a context of contention and disserves some while serving others. The manner in which social support is generated can both induce and suppress outcome inequalities. This is shown in the effects of fan support on team performance in major league sports. For the sports most dependent on partisan local publics, fan support functions to suppress the performance inequalities that leagues build into competition. For the sports that have cultivated expectation-driven national publics, fan support functions to induce performance inequalities that leagues seek to eliminate from competition. A computer simulation reveals that the entire amount of actual performance inequality in national public-oriented NFL football can be explained by this perverse effect of supportive publics. Perverse effects, it is argued, are essential to the functioning of interaction systems.

ISSN:0430-0696    

DOI:10.1093/sf/74.1.81

出版商:The University of North Carolina Press    

年代:1995

数据来源: OUP

摘要:

Network exchange theory predicts relative profits from negotiations among actors in social exchange networks (Markovsky et al. 1993; Markovsky, Wilier&Patton 1988). Here we extend the theory to allow exact predictions, rather than merely ordinal, for actors' exchange profits. This is accomplished by integrating two important factors. First, a resistance model predicts bilateral negotiation outcomes within a given set of network constraints. It does so by weighing actors' interests in gaining the best possible exchanges against their desires to avoid the worst. Second, the resistance model predictions are modified by actors' profit expectations. In particular, we incorporate two factors that affect such expectations, both common features of ongoing exchange relations: the number of other actors to whom one is directly connected in the network, and the likelihood of one's completing exchanges with them. We derive hypotheses from the theory and test them in two very different experimental settings. We find that the theory's predictions are more accurate than those of previous versions of the theory and those of five alternative theories.

ISSN:0430-0696    

DOI:10.1093/sf/74.1.123

出版商:The University of North Carolina Press    

年代:1995

数据来源: OUP

摘要:

Three Protestant denominations comprising “the Protestant Establishment” (Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist/ United Church of Christ) played a major role in shaping the American way of life. While some scholars claim that Protestant hegemony persists, others argue that we live in a post-Protestant era. We assess these conflicting views by examining the religious affiliations of persons listed inWho's Who in Americain 1930 and 1992. The results indicate that the Protestant Establishment has lost some ground since the 1930s but remains overrepresented among the nation's power and cultural elites. Among other groups, Jews have gained the most. Catholics also have gained, but remain slightly underrepresented among both cultural and power elites. The status of other religious groups is also discussed.

ISSN:0430-0696    

DOI:10.1093/sf/74.1.157

出版商:The University of North Carolina Press    

年代:1995

数据来源: OUP

摘要:

Density-dependence theory cannot account for the widely observed pattern of proliferation and concentration in organizational populations. Although density dependence provides an explanation for initial proliferation, it cannot explain subsequent concentration because it does not allow some organizations to become dominant competitors. To address this basic limitation, I combine density dependence with three ecological models that permit size-based competitive asymmetries among a population's members and let the intensity of competitive processes vary over time. My analysis shows that Manhattan hotels of different sizes generate and experience different strengths of competition and that size-based competitive processes increase in strength over time, contributing to industry concentration. Separating empirically the effects of low-density conditions that occur early and late in a population's history also clarifies tests of density dependence in populations that have evolved beyond their peak density.

ISSN:0430-0696    

DOI:10.1093/sf/74.1.177

出版商:The University of North Carolina Press    

年代:1995

数据来源: OUP

摘要:

One of the most serious criticisms of research on the contact hypothesis is the contention that selection bias operates to promote interaction between whites and blacks who are already relatively unprejudiced toward one another. Accordingly, attempts to infer the effect of interracial contact on racial attitudes must recognize and correct for this potential source of bias. Endogenous switching regression models are used to estimate the effect of close interracial friendship on selected racial attitude variables while accounting for possible selectivity bias. Each model implies a distinct assumption about the process generating interracial contact and racial attitudes. Using data from the National Survey of Black Americans, we find no evidence of sample selection bias in estimating the effect of close interracial contact on black racial attitudes. Therefore, we cannot reject the conventional models used in research on the contact hypothesis that treat interracial contact as an exogenous variable affecting racial attitudes. However, our results show the usefulness of a switching regressions approach to reveal the contingent nature of the contact hypothesis.

ISSN:0430-0696    

DOI:10.1093/sf/74.1.205

出版商:The University of North Carolina Press    

年代:1995

数据来源: OUP

摘要:

This article assesses the impact of childhood interracial contact and parental socialization on adult black identity. The investigation goes beyond previous work by testing hypotheses about the process by which these two factors operate, as well as differentiating between black and person-of-color identities. Evidence is found to support claims that interracial contact in childhood weakens adult feelings of closeness to other blacks. Mixed support for the impact of parental socialization emerges once a more precise definition of identity is employed. With respect to process, insufficient support is found for the claim that childhood factors affect closeness through black culture and outgroup orientation. The article concludes by outlining arguments regarding the merits of black identity and calling for research to help resolve this controversy.

ISSN:0430-0696    

DOI:10.1093/sf/74.1.227

出版商:The University of North Carolina Press    

年代:1995

数据来源: OUP

摘要:

Cross-sectional and longitudinal causal analyses were carried out on a longitudinal cohort of employed adult males (N∼ 400) to investigate the relationship between various forms of drug use and earnings. By age 35, there are no cumulative effects of the use of illicit drugs on wages. Specification of the relationships at various stages of the life cycle reveals that the effects of illicit drug use are positive in the early stages of labor force participation (by the late twenties) but negative in later stages (by the mid-thirties). The negative impact of drug use on earnings appears to take more than a decade to manifest itself and is reflected in lower rates of earnings growth. We propose that a labor market theory of life-cycle compensation contracts and investments in training and the differential impact that different types of job changes have in the short and the long run among users and nonusers provide a partial accounting of the processes underlying the observed opposite relationships between drug use and earnings at different age periods. The importance of adopting a life-span perspective is highlighted by our findings.

ISSN:0430-0696    

DOI:10.1093/sf/74.1.243

出版商:The University of North Carolina Press    

年代:1995

数据来源: OUP