Dissertation Abstract: Bryce Hannibal on Jazz Collaboration Networks

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Bryce Hannibal defended his dissertation at Texas A&M University earlier this year and will be on the market this fall.

Abstract: 

In this project I explore how career success, historical importance, and innovation are outcomes of social network characteristics.  Specifically, I look at jazz collaboration networks at the height of small-group jazz popularity (1945-1958) to determine if one’s structural location within the larger network influences career success.  Using a network dataset collected from the Tom Lord Discography, I use social network analysis techniques and longitudinal logistic regression to examine a statistical relationship between network characteristics and success.  I test several existing hypotheses in network literature, e.g., centrality, brokerage, and closure, as well as newer assertions that are gaining widespread use.

Because jazz is based on improvisation there are incentives to creating a well-functioning closed group that remains cohesive so that musicians become familiar with and attuned to one another’s musical styles.  However, while this logic is sound the results of this project do not follow the closure tradition and are instead consistent with the sparse networks or brokerage hypotheses.  Empirically, individuals within jazz networks who form a closed group are less likely to have a successful career.  More broadly, conclusions from this project suggest that individual innovators who work in a group setting should maintain open networks with connections to diverse areas of the global network.

Announcement: New Publication from OOW Member Tania Jenkins

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A new publication from Tania Jenkins that may be of interest to OOW members.

Jenkins, T. M. (2015). ‘It’s time she stopped torturing herself’: Structural constraints to decision-making about life-sustaining treatment by medical trainees. Social Science & Medicine, 132, 132-140. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.03.039

Abstract: This article explores how structural factors associated with the profession and organization of medicine
can constrain internal medicine residents, leading them to sometimes limit or terminate treatment in
end-of-life care in ways that do not always embrace patient autonomy. Specifically, it examines the
opportunities and motivations that explain why residents sometimes arrogate decision-making for
themselves about life-sustaining treatment. Using ethnographic data drawn from over two years at an
American community hospital, I contend that unlike previous studies which aggregate junior and senior
physicians’ perspectives, medical trainees face unique constraints that can lead them to intentionally or
unintentionally overlook patient preferences. This is especially salient in cases where they misunderstand
their patients’ wishes, disagree about what is in their best interest, and/or lack the standing to
pursue alternative ethical approaches to resolving these tensions. The study concludes with recommendations
that take into account the structural underpinnings of arrogance in decision-making about
life-sustaining treatment.

Announcements: Recent Publications by OOW Members, Robert Perrucci and Carolyn C. Perrucci

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Several recent publications from Robert Perrucci and Carolyn C. Perrucci may be of interest to OOW members.

Robert Perrucci and Carolyn C. Perrucci, “The Good Society: Core Social Values, Social Norms, and Public Policy.” Sociological Forum, V. 29, March, 2014.

Robert Perrucci and Carolyn C. Perrrucci, “Economic Crisis and Its Effects on Hope, Trust, and Caring.” In C. Renzetti and R. K. Bergren, (Eds.) Understanding Diversity,Pearson Publishers, 2015.

Robert Perrucci and Carolyn c. Perrucci, “The Triple Revolution, 1965-2015: Revisiting Institutional Social Problems.” International Journal of Contemporary Sociology, forthcoming October 2015.

Letter from Paula England

On By Sarah MosseriIn AnnouncementsLeave a comment

NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION BY SOCIOLOGISTS

To my fellow members of the American Sociological Association:

National Science Foundation (NSF) research funding for the social sciences is threatened with a 45% cut in a bill that will be debated on the House floor during the week of May 18.  I urge you to write to your member of Congress before that debate.

You can do this easily right now. Go to the COSSA Action Center to sign up and take action by asking your representative to oppose the America COMPETES Act of 2015 (H.R. 1806).

Continue reading “Letter from Paula England” →

Sunbelt Conference of the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA)

On By Sarah MosseriIn ConferencesLeave a comment

The 2015 conference, Sunbelt XXXV, to be held at the Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel on the beachfront of Brighton, UK, from June 23– June 28, 2015, provides an interdisciplinary venue for social scientists, mathematicians, computer scientists, ethnologists, epidemiologists, organizational theorists, and others to present current work in the area of social networks.

You can view the program here.

New Edited Volume on Immigration and Work

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A new edited volume on Immigration and Work was recently published by OOW member Jody Angius Vallejo (University of Southern California) in Research in the Sociology of Work. This volume brings together new empirical research and theoretical innovations from cutting-edge scholarship concentrating on the intersection of immigration and work. Research in this volume investigates how larger structural inequalities in sending and receiving nations, immigrant entry policies, group characteristics, and micro level processes, such as discrimination and access to ethnic networks, shapes labor market outcomes, workplace experiences, and patterns of integration among immigrants and their descendants. Continue reading “New Edited Volume on Immigration and Work” →

Announcement: New Book from OOW Member, Melissa E. Wooten.

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Wooten, Melissa E. 2015. In the Face of Inequality: How Black Colleges Adapt. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
Description:
A quarter of black Americans earn college degrees from black colleges, yet questions about the necessity of black colleges abound. In the Face of Inequality dissects the ways in which race and racism combined to shape the experiences of America?s black colleges in the mid-twentieth century. In a novel approach to this topic, Melissa E. Wooten combines historical data with a sociological approach. Drawing on extensive quantitative and qualitative historical data, Wooten argues that for much of America?s history, educational and social policy was explicitly designed to limit black colleges? organizational development. As an alternative to questioning the modern day relevance of these schools, Wooten asks readers to consider how race and racism precludes black colleges from acquiring the resources and respect worthy of them.

In the Face of Inequality - Cover