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Mitchell Centre Seminar Series

Dates:25 October 2017
Times:16:00 - 16:00
What is it:Seminar
Organiser:School of Social Sciences
Who is it for:University staff
Speaker:Philip Leifeld
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  • In group "The Mitchell Centre"
  • In group "(SoSS) Social Statistics"
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Philip Leifeld, University of Glasgow

Polarisation in the social sciences? A statistical analysis of co-authorship networks

Academic collaboration in the social sciences is, arguably, characterised by a polarisation between hermeneutic and nomological researchers. This polarisation is expressed in different publication strategies. I present an analysis of the complete co-authorship networks in a social science discipline in two separate countries over five years using an exponential random graph model. It examines whether and how assortative mixing in publication strategies is present and leads to a polarisation in scientific collaboration. In the empirical analysis, this assortative mixing is found to play a role in shaping the topology of the network and significantly explains collaboration. Co-authorship ties are stronger within each of the groups, but this mixing pattern does not fully account for the extent of polarisation. Instead, a thought experiment reveals that other components of the complex system dampen or amplify polarisation in the data-generating process and that micro-level interventions targeting behaviour change with regard to assortativity would be hindered by the resilience of the system. The resilience to interventions is quantified in a series of simulations on the effect of micro-level behaviour on macro-level polarisation. The empirical study controls for geographic proximity, supervision, and topical similarity (using a vector space model), and the interplay of these factors is likely responsible for this resilience. The paper also predicts the co-authorship network in one country based on the model of collaborations in the other country.

Speaker

Philip Leifeld

Organisation: University of Glasgow

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01612752921

elisa.bellotti@manchester.ac.uk

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