Mitchell Centre Seminar Series
| Dates: | 25 October 2017 |
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| Times: | 16:00 - 16:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | School of Social Sciences |
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| Who is it for: | University staff |
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| Speaker: | Philip Leifeld |
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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
Travel and Contact Information
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A114
Samuel Alexander Building
Manchester
