Paola Tubaro

Norms, status and the dynamics of advice networks: A case study

The issue of the influence of norms on behavior is as old as sociology itself. This paper explores the effect of normative homophily (i.e. “sharing the same normative choices”) on the evolution of the advice network among lay judges in a courthouse. (Blau, 1955) and (Blau, 1964) social exchange theory suggests that members select advisors based on the status of the advisor. Additional research shows that members of an organization use similarities with others in ascribed, achieved or inherited characteristics, as well as other kinds of ties, to mitigate the potentially negative effects of this strong status rule. We elaborate and test these theories using data on advisor choice in the Commercial Court of Paris. We use a jurisprudential case about unfair competition (material and “moral” damages), a case that we submitted to all the judges of this court, to test the effect of normative homophily on the selection of advisors, controlling for status effects. Normative homophily is measured by the extent to which two judges are equally “punitive” in awarding damages to plaintiffs. Statistical analyses combine longitudinal advice network data collected among the judges with their normative dispositions. Contrary to what could be expected from conventional sociological theories, we find no pure effect of normative homophily on the choice of advisors. In this case, therefore, sharing the same norms and values does not have, by itself, a mitigating effect and does not contribute to the evolution of the network. We argue that status effects, conformity and alignments on positions of opinion leaders in controversies still provide the best insights into the relationship between norms, structure and behavior.

Ten years of Ana: Lessons from a transdisciplinary body of literature on online pro-eating disorder websites

Resume This paper offers a methodical review of the scientific literature of the last decade that concerns itself with online services offering supportive advocacy for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (‘pro-ana’ and ‘pro-mia’). The main question is whether these studies reproduce the traditional divide in the study of eating disorders, between clinical and social science perspectives, with limited mutual exchanges. Having first identified a specific body of literature, the authors investigate its content, methods and approaches, and analyse the network of cross-citations the components generate and share. On this basis, the authors argue that the scientific literature touching on pro-ana websites can be regarded as a single transdisciplinary body of knowledge. What’s more, they show that the literature on computer-mediated sociabilities centred on eating disorders displays different structural characteristics with respect to the traditional, non-Web-related research on eating disorders. In the latter, the social sciences have usually provided a critical counterpoint to the development of a health sciences mainstream. In the case of Web-related research, however, the social sciences have taken the lead role in defining the field, with the health sciences following suit.

Social Media Censorship in Times of Political Unrest - A Social Simulation Experiment with the UK Riots

Following the 2011 wave of political unrest, extending from the Arab Spring to the UK riots, the formation of a large consensus around Internet censorship is underway. The present paper adopts a social simulation approach to show that the decision to “regulate”, filter or censor social media in situations of unrest changes the pattern of civil protest and ultimately results in higher levels of violence. Building on Epsteins (2002) agent-based model, several alternative scenarios are generated. The systemic optimum, represented by complete absence of censorship, not only corresponds to lower levels of violence over time, but allows for significant periods of social peace after each outburst.

Eliciting Personal Network Data in Web Surveys through Participant-generated Sociograms

The article presents a method to elicit personal network data in Internet surveys, exploiting the renowned appeal of network visualizations to reduce respondent burden and risk of dropout. It is a participant-generated computer-based sociogram, an interactive graphical interface enabling participants to draw their own personal networks with simple and intuitive tools. In a study of users of websites on eating disorders, we have embedded the sociogram within a two-step approach aiming to first elicit the broad ego network of an individual and then to extract subsets of issue-specific support ties. We find this to be a promising tool to facilitate survey experience and adaptable to a wider range of network studies.

‘‘An Ethnographic Seduction’’: How Qualitative Research and Agent-based Models can Benefit Each Other

“ Une séduction ethnographique ” — Comment la recherche qualitative et la modélisation par agents peuvent bénéficier l’un à l’autre : Nous proposons ici un cadre analytique général pour des simultations multi-agent informées par des données empiriques. Cette méthode pourrait fournir aux modèles par agents d’aujourd’hui une représentation correcte et appropriée des comportements d’agents sociaux, une représentation que les données statistiques échouent souvent à produire, tout particulièrement au niveau micro et au sujet des populations cachées ou sensibles. En retour, les simulations pourraient fournir aux sociologues et anthropologues qualitatifs des outils précieux pour : (a) questionner certains cadres théoriques et en tester la cohérence ; (b) reproduire et généraliser les résultats ; (c) fournir une plateforme pour la validation multi-disciplinaire des résultats. We provide a general analytical framework for empirically informed agent-based simulations. This methodology provides present-day agent-based models with a sound and proper insight as to the behavior of social agents — an insight that statistical data often fall short of providing at least at a micro level and for hidden and sensitive populations. In the other direction, simulations can provide qualitative researchers in sociology, anthropology and other fields with valuable tools for: (a) testing the consistency and pushing the boundaries, of specific theoretical frameworks; (b) replicating and generalizing results; (c) providing a platform for cross-disciplinary validation of results.

Online networks of eating-disorder websites: why censoring pro-ana might be a bad idea

Dr AA Casilli from Telecom ParisTech, Dr F Pailler from the Edgar Morin Centre and Dr P Tubaro from Greenwich University demonstrate how the reshaping and censoring of online ana-mia communities is bad news for health care providers and policy makers

Becker random behavior and the as-if defense of rational choice theory in demand analysis

In discussing rational choice theory (RCT) as an explanation of demand behavior, Becker (1962, Journal of Political Economy, 70, 1–13) proposed a model of random choice in which consumers pick a bundle on their budget line according to a uniform distribution. This model has then been used in various ways to assess the validity of RCT and to support as-if arguments in defense of it. This paper makes both historical and methodological contributions. Historically, it investigates how the interpretation of Becker random behavior evolved between the original 1962 article and the modern experimental literature on individual demand, and surveys six experiments in which it has been used as an alternative hypothesis to RCT. Methodologically, this paper conducts an assessment of the as-if defense of RCT from the standpoint of Beckers model. It argues that this defense is ‘weak’ in a number of senses, and that it has negatively influenced the design of experiments about RCT.

Is individual rationality essential to market price formation? The contribution of zero‐intelligence agent trading models

The paper investigates the minimum level of individual rationality that is needed for market prices to converge toward their equilibrium level. It does so by examining the theoretical and methodological foundations of the ‘zero‐intelligence’ (ZI) agent trading approach, with which Gode and Sunder (1993a) claimed that weak individual rationality requirements suffice to obtain equilibrium prices. The paper shows that ZI agents are endowed with a higher degree of rationality than previously believed. Though not maximizing utility, they exhibit utility‐improving behavior, and their decision‐making rules fulfill important predictions of the theory of choice based on maximization, namely downward‐sloping individual demand and upward‐sloping individual supply. Additional cognitive skills would be required, were some simplifying assumptions of the basic model removed. Gode and Sunders analysis supports a non‐neoclassical rational choice theory, in which optimization can be replaced by a variety of behavioral rules, while still preserving important results on the functioning of markets.

How Far Do Network Effects Spill Over? Evidence from an Empirical Study of Performance Differentials in Interorganizational Networks

Organizations join interorganizational networks in the hope of gaining exposure to learning opportunities, and accessing valuable extramural resources and knowledge. In this paper we argue that participation in interorganizational networks also reduces performance differentials among organizational nodes. We examine three alternative mechanisms capable of sustaining this prediction. The first (strength of ties) operates at a strictly local level defined in terms of dyadic relations linking organizations. The second mechanism (social proximity) operates at an intermediate – or meso level of interdependence defined in terms of membership in overlapping cliques into which interorganizational networks are typically organized. The third mechanism (structural equivalence) is global and pertains to jointly occupied network positions. The objective of this paper is to examine at which of these levels network effects operate to reduce performance differentials among members of interorganizational networks. Our empirical analysis of performance differentials between hospitals in a regional community supports the following conclusions: (i) performance spillover effects are highly differentiated and vary significantly across network levels; (ii) organizations occupying similar positions within the network are more similar in terms of performance; (iii) joint membership in multiple sub-groups (or cliques) reduces performance differentials up to a limit; after this limit is reached, the performance of organizational partners begins to diverge; (iv) the strength of direct collaboration between organizational partners does not necessarily reduce interorganizational performance differentials. The results of the study are new because available research on interorganizational networks says little about the range of network effects, i.e., about how far the performance spillover effects that operate through networks propagate throughout organizational fields and communities. These results are also consequential because they suggest that network effects on performance differentials are sensitive to the specification of network boundaries.

The Visual Sociogram in Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Research

The paper investigates the place of visual tools in mixed-methods research on social networks, arguing that they can not only improve the communicability of results, but also support research at the data gathering and analysis stages. Three examples from the authors’ own research experience illustrate how sociograms can be integrated in multiple ways with other analytical tools, both quantitative and qualitative, positioning visualization at the intersection of varied methods and channelling substantive ideas as well as network insight in a coherent way. Visualization also facilitates the participation of a broad range of stakeholders, including among others, study participants and non-specialist researchers. It can support the capacity of qualitative and mixed-methods research to reach out to areas of the social that are difficult to circumscribe, such as hidden populations and informal organisations. On this basis, visualization appears as a unique opportunity for mixing methods in the study of social networks, emphasizing both structure and process at the same time.