Samir Okasha
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199267972
- eISBN:
- 9780191708275
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199267972.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter analyzes the causal dimension to multi-level selection theory. Particular attention is paid to the idea that direct selection at one hierarchical level may generate, as a side effect, a ...
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This chapter analyzes the causal dimension to multi-level selection theory. Particular attention is paid to the idea that direct selection at one hierarchical level may generate, as a side effect, a character-fitness covariance at a different level, and thus the appearance of direct selection at that level. Such ‘cross-level’ byproducts lie at the heart of the levels of selection problem and show that Price's equation cannot be an infallible guide to determining the level(s) at which selection is acting. The nature of cross-level byproducts in MLS1 and MLS2 is examined, and the statistical technique known as contextual analysis, which can be used to detect cross-level byproducts, is explored.Less
This chapter analyzes the causal dimension to multi-level selection theory. Particular attention is paid to the idea that direct selection at one hierarchical level may generate, as a side effect, a character-fitness covariance at a different level, and thus the appearance of direct selection at that level. Such ‘cross-level’ byproducts lie at the heart of the levels of selection problem and show that Price's equation cannot be an infallible guide to determining the level(s) at which selection is acting. The nature of cross-level byproducts in MLS1 and MLS2 is examined, and the statistical technique known as contextual analysis, which can be used to detect cross-level byproducts, is explored.
Joseph H. Carens
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297680
- eISBN:
- 9780191598937
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198297688.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Contributes to contemporary debates about justice, multiculturalism, citizenship, and democratic theory. The book argues that the conventional liberal understanding of justice as neutrality needs to ...
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Contributes to contemporary debates about justice, multiculturalism, citizenship, and democratic theory. The book argues that the conventional liberal understanding of justice as neutrality needs to be supplemented by a conception of justice as evenhandedness. It also argues that theorists ought to pay attention to the moral wisdom that is sometimes embedded in practice. Claims about the moral relevance of culture and identity appear in many different forms in politics. There is no master principle that enables us to determine when we should respect such claims and when we should challenge them, but the idea of evenhanded justice often points us in the right direction. The book demonstrates this through a comparative and contextual analysis that pays close attention to the actual claims about culture and identity advanced by immigrants, national minorities, aboriginals, and other groups in a number of different societies. While the main focus is on a range of familiar and unfamiliar cases, the book includes an extended critical analysis of the work of Michael Walzer and Will Kymlicka. Finally, the book also contends that the conventional conception of citizenship is an intellectual and moral prison from which we can be liberated by adopting an understanding of citizenship that is more open to multiplicity and that grows out of practices that we judge, upon reflection, to be just and beneficial.Less
Contributes to contemporary debates about justice, multiculturalism, citizenship, and democratic theory. The book argues that the conventional liberal understanding of justice as neutrality needs to be supplemented by a conception of justice as evenhandedness. It also argues that theorists ought to pay attention to the moral wisdom that is sometimes embedded in practice. Claims about the moral relevance of culture and identity appear in many different forms in politics. There is no master principle that enables us to determine when we should respect such claims and when we should challenge them, but the idea of evenhanded justice often points us in the right direction. The book demonstrates this through a comparative and contextual analysis that pays close attention to the actual claims about culture and identity advanced by immigrants, national minorities, aboriginals, and other groups in a number of different societies. While the main focus is on a range of familiar and unfamiliar cases, the book includes an extended critical analysis of the work of Michael Walzer and Will Kymlicka. Finally, the book also contends that the conventional conception of citizenship is an intellectual and moral prison from which we can be liberated by adopting an understanding of citizenship that is more open to multiplicity and that grows out of practices that we judge, upon reflection, to be just and beneficial.
Timothy Hellwig
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199599233
- eISBN:
- 9780191595790
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199599233.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
What explains whether citizens hold the government accountable for its performance in office? In addressing this question, this chapter argues for a broader investigation of how political context ...
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What explains whether citizens hold the government accountable for its performance in office? In addressing this question, this chapter argues for a broader investigation of how political context shapes the performance-based vote. For one, analyses should take both contextual- and individual-level heterogeneity into account. Second, theory development and empirical research should consider performance-based vote as a component of the voter's calculus overall. And third, in order to control for issue salience, retrospective evaluations should be measured in general rather than specific terms. These principles are put in practice using data from thirty-five electoral contexts. This chapter finds that retrospective assessments of government performance matter more for vote choice when policy responsibility is concentrated and when the party system provides for a range of choices. Yet the chapter also shows that context affects whether voters become informed, with publics better informed in more complex institutional contexts. Finally, results indicate that political information shapes the calculus of voting. Low-informed individuals place more emphasis on performance-based voting, while party policy appeals matter more for the highly informed. Overall, chapter findings illustrate how factors, both macro and micro, condition the performance vote and, by extension, political accountability.Less
What explains whether citizens hold the government accountable for its performance in office? In addressing this question, this chapter argues for a broader investigation of how political context shapes the performance-based vote. For one, analyses should take both contextual- and individual-level heterogeneity into account. Second, theory development and empirical research should consider performance-based vote as a component of the voter's calculus overall. And third, in order to control for issue salience, retrospective evaluations should be measured in general rather than specific terms. These principles are put in practice using data from thirty-five electoral contexts. This chapter finds that retrospective assessments of government performance matter more for vote choice when policy responsibility is concentrated and when the party system provides for a range of choices. Yet the chapter also shows that context affects whether voters become informed, with publics better informed in more complex institutional contexts. Finally, results indicate that political information shapes the calculus of voting. Low-informed individuals place more emphasis on performance-based voting, while party policy appeals matter more for the highly informed. Overall, chapter findings illustrate how factors, both macro and micro, condition the performance vote and, by extension, political accountability.
Kathleen Wells
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195385793
- eISBN:
- 9780199827237
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195385793.003.0007
- Subject:
- Social Work, Research and Evaluation
This chapter discusses two new approaches to the analysis of narrative: critical narrative analysis and contextual discursive analysis. It examines each approach in relation to its theoretical ...
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This chapter discusses two new approaches to the analysis of narrative: critical narrative analysis and contextual discursive analysis. It examines each approach in relation to its theoretical orientation, central question, major concepts, and orientation to method. Each approach is illustrated with the work of the scholar who developed the method. Critical narrative analysis draws on psychosocial studies, constructionist theory, and psycho-analytic theory. The commonalities and divergences between critical narrative analysis and psychoanalysis are noted. Contextual discursive analysis emphasizes, by way of comparison, the societal genres and cultural stories on which discourse depends and, drawing on Kristeva's concept of the abject, on the ways in which individuals seek to represent what they cannot say symbolically. The limitations and strengths of each method are also reviewed.Less
This chapter discusses two new approaches to the analysis of narrative: critical narrative analysis and contextual discursive analysis. It examines each approach in relation to its theoretical orientation, central question, major concepts, and orientation to method. Each approach is illustrated with the work of the scholar who developed the method. Critical narrative analysis draws on psychosocial studies, constructionist theory, and psycho-analytic theory. The commonalities and divergences between critical narrative analysis and psychoanalysis are noted. Contextual discursive analysis emphasizes, by way of comparison, the societal genres and cultural stories on which discourse depends and, drawing on Kristeva's concept of the abject, on the ways in which individuals seek to represent what they cannot say symbolically. The limitations and strengths of each method are also reviewed.
Bruce Walsh and Michael Lynch
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198830870
- eISBN:
- 9780191868986
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198830870.003.0030
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics, Biochemistry / Molecular Biology
This chapter extends many of the results from Chapter 29 on single trait-fitness associations to the multiple trait setting. It examines the estimate of multivariate fitness surfaces, starting with ...
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This chapter extends many of the results from Chapter 29 on single trait-fitness associations to the multiple trait setting. It examines the estimate of multivariate fitness surfaces, starting with quadratic surfaces and then moving to nonparametric versions (which assume no a prior functional form). It also examines path analysis, the analysis of missing data, and multilevel selection.Less
This chapter extends many of the results from Chapter 29 on single trait-fitness associations to the multiple trait setting. It examines the estimate of multivariate fitness surfaces, starting with quadratic surfaces and then moving to nonparametric versions (which assume no a prior functional form). It also examines path analysis, the analysis of missing data, and multilevel selection.
Charles Goodnight
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226671024
- eISBN:
- 9780226671338
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226671338.003.0010
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter explores the modeling of multilevel selection (MLS) – and the related concepts of group selection and kin selection – using variance partitioning methods, using the Price equation to ...
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This chapter explores the modeling of multilevel selection (MLS) – and the related concepts of group selection and kin selection – using variance partitioning methods, using the Price equation to elucidate basic issues within MLS theory. An expansion of this theory, based on contextual analysis and direct fitness, is used to show that kin selection and MLS selection have the same mathematical roots, although they are not identical. Kin selection theory is oriented towards identifying the optimal group and individual level traits that maximize the fitness of an organism, while MLS theory is oriented towards identifying the rate of evolution of the group and individual level traits in a specified situation. Because of these differences, kin selection and group selection can be considered as complementary approaches. The chapter also addresses why heritable variation at one level often bears little relation to heritable variation at other levels. It is shown that interactions among units (e.g., individuals) cannot contribute to a response to selection at that level, but can contribute to response to selection at a higher level (e.g., the population). Thus, the response to selection at one level can be qualitatively different than the response to selection at other levels.Less
This chapter explores the modeling of multilevel selection (MLS) – and the related concepts of group selection and kin selection – using variance partitioning methods, using the Price equation to elucidate basic issues within MLS theory. An expansion of this theory, based on contextual analysis and direct fitness, is used to show that kin selection and MLS selection have the same mathematical roots, although they are not identical. Kin selection theory is oriented towards identifying the optimal group and individual level traits that maximize the fitness of an organism, while MLS theory is oriented towards identifying the rate of evolution of the group and individual level traits in a specified situation. Because of these differences, kin selection and group selection can be considered as complementary approaches. The chapter also addresses why heritable variation at one level often bears little relation to heritable variation at other levels. It is shown that interactions among units (e.g., individuals) cannot contribute to a response to selection at that level, but can contribute to response to selection at a higher level (e.g., the population). Thus, the response to selection at one level can be qualitatively different than the response to selection at other levels.
Patrick Frank
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780813062228
- eISBN:
- 9780813051710
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813062228.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Latin American Studies
The introduction defines the Nueva Figuración movement and gives an overview of the group's shifting reputation, from initial fame in Buenos Aires in the early 1960s to regional importance, limited ...
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The introduction defines the Nueva Figuración movement and gives an overview of the group's shifting reputation, from initial fame in Buenos Aires in the early 1960s to regional importance, limited international recognition in the middle 1960s, and subsequent decline. Frank argues for reconsideration of New Figuration as part of a wider reassessment of the worldwide cosmopolitan development of modern art. The best method for such reassessment, Frank argues, is contextual analysis because many of the Nueva Figuración artists’ works refer both directly and indirectly to contemporary events, cultural products, and sociological trends. Drawing on the work of Carl Schmitt, who first defined Nueva Figuración, and of Giorgio Agamben, who later elaborated on it, Frank describes its temporal backdrop in Argentina as a “state of exception.” The introduction closes on Frank’s summary development of the chronological organization of succeeding chapters.Less
The introduction defines the Nueva Figuración movement and gives an overview of the group's shifting reputation, from initial fame in Buenos Aires in the early 1960s to regional importance, limited international recognition in the middle 1960s, and subsequent decline. Frank argues for reconsideration of New Figuration as part of a wider reassessment of the worldwide cosmopolitan development of modern art. The best method for such reassessment, Frank argues, is contextual analysis because many of the Nueva Figuración artists’ works refer both directly and indirectly to contemporary events, cultural products, and sociological trends. Drawing on the work of Carl Schmitt, who first defined Nueva Figuración, and of Giorgio Agamben, who later elaborated on it, Frank describes its temporal backdrop in Argentina as a “state of exception.” The introduction closes on Frank’s summary development of the chronological organization of succeeding chapters.
Ninna Meier and Sue Dopson (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- August 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198805304
- eISBN:
- 9780191843419
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198805304.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
The concept of context is a cornerstone of a large part of social science research, particularly in organization and management studies, yet it has received little theoretical and methodological ...
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The concept of context is a cornerstone of a large part of social science research, particularly in organization and management studies, yet it has received little theoretical and methodological attention in lieu of its relevance. This book offers a definition of context as a theoretical construct, a discussion of the methodological implications of this, and a framework for how to reflect upon and operationalize the role of context in the different stages of a research process, from formulating research questions to analyzing and writing about results. The chapters presented here integrate lessons derived from various research experiences across the complex and dynamic field of health care. Contributors share their experiences with theorizing about and empirically studying significant organizational phenomena such as implementation of policy, organizational change, integration of care, patient involvement, human-technology interactions in practice, and the interplay between work environment and care outcomes in eldercare. These contributions exemplify how a nuanced approach to context might unfold in different fields, through different designs, methods, and analytical lenses. Relevant to researchers and practitioners, within both healthcare, organization and management studies, and the social sciences more broadly, this book leaves the reader with a practical framework from which to carry out contextual research and analysis and a gain deeper understanding of the significance of context in organizational life.Less
The concept of context is a cornerstone of a large part of social science research, particularly in organization and management studies, yet it has received little theoretical and methodological attention in lieu of its relevance. This book offers a definition of context as a theoretical construct, a discussion of the methodological implications of this, and a framework for how to reflect upon and operationalize the role of context in the different stages of a research process, from formulating research questions to analyzing and writing about results. The chapters presented here integrate lessons derived from various research experiences across the complex and dynamic field of health care. Contributors share their experiences with theorizing about and empirically studying significant organizational phenomena such as implementation of policy, organizational change, integration of care, patient involvement, human-technology interactions in practice, and the interplay between work environment and care outcomes in eldercare. These contributions exemplify how a nuanced approach to context might unfold in different fields, through different designs, methods, and analytical lenses. Relevant to researchers and practitioners, within both healthcare, organization and management studies, and the social sciences more broadly, this book leaves the reader with a practical framework from which to carry out contextual research and analysis and a gain deeper understanding of the significance of context in organizational life.
Thomas C. Wolfe and John Pickles
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814724262
- eISBN:
- 9780814724255
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814724262.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
This chapter traces the genealogy of concepts employed in research on the postcommunist region to uncover the ideological commitments they import into analysis. It first considers some of the ways in ...
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This chapter traces the genealogy of concepts employed in research on the postcommunist region to uncover the ideological commitments they import into analysis. It first considers some of the ways in which social justice has been understood in postsocialist studies, how this has been shaped by the ethos of Europe, and how social science contributes to the forms of governmentality emerging in postsocialist states. It then offers four methodological principles that help in thinking about postsocialist forms of social justice. These focus on the importance of contingent relations, hinterlands and contextual analysis, subtraction (or keeping things as simple as they need to be but not simpler) and emergence.Less
This chapter traces the genealogy of concepts employed in research on the postcommunist region to uncover the ideological commitments they import into analysis. It first considers some of the ways in which social justice has been understood in postsocialist studies, how this has been shaped by the ethos of Europe, and how social science contributes to the forms of governmentality emerging in postsocialist states. It then offers four methodological principles that help in thinking about postsocialist forms of social justice. These focus on the importance of contingent relations, hinterlands and contextual analysis, subtraction (or keeping things as simple as they need to be but not simpler) and emergence.
James Walter
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199666423
- eISBN:
- 9780191751462
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199666423.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter develops a conceptual framework for systematic description and analysis of prime-ministerial leadership. It focuses particularly on the issue of the power of prime ministers. The author ...
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This chapter develops a conceptual framework for systematic description and analysis of prime-ministerial leadership. It focuses particularly on the issue of the power of prime ministers. The author proposes that to understand that power and its successful deployment demands far more than an institutional analysis of prime ministers’ authority resources, it also requires an understanding of the personality (motives, world views, skills) and styles of individual office-holders, as well as a systematic analysis of how the (political, economic, cultural) context in which they operate shapes and constrains their power chances. The argument is illustrated by a comparative examination of the prime-ministerial leadership of Gordon Brown (United Kingdom), Stephen Harper (Canada), Kevin Rudd (Australia) and John Key (New Zealand) during the Global Financial Crisis of the late 2000s.Less
This chapter develops a conceptual framework for systematic description and analysis of prime-ministerial leadership. It focuses particularly on the issue of the power of prime ministers. The author proposes that to understand that power and its successful deployment demands far more than an institutional analysis of prime ministers’ authority resources, it also requires an understanding of the personality (motives, world views, skills) and styles of individual office-holders, as well as a systematic analysis of how the (political, economic, cultural) context in which they operate shapes and constrains their power chances. The argument is illustrated by a comparative examination of the prime-ministerial leadership of Gordon Brown (United Kingdom), Stephen Harper (Canada), Kevin Rudd (Australia) and John Key (New Zealand) during the Global Financial Crisis of the late 2000s.
Sue Dopson and Ninna Meier
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- August 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198805304
- eISBN:
- 9780191843419
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198805304.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
The purpose of this book is to provide an exploration of the role of context and action in the broader field of organization and management theory, illustrated by examples from health care research. ...
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The purpose of this book is to provide an exploration of the role of context and action in the broader field of organization and management theory, illustrated by examples from health care research. In their own right, both context and action are essential theoretical concepts rooted in philosophical reflections. Moreover, they pose potential methodological challenges to research in the fields of organization and management. The context–action relationship deals with issues relating to questions such as what is organizational change and how can we study it empirically? How are macro- and microlevel events or actions connected, and how do they influence and co-constitute each other through their relationships across analytical levels? The book distinguishes between context as a theoretical construct, on the one hand, and as methodological approach (i.e., how we operationalize and use the concept in the research process) on the other.Less
The purpose of this book is to provide an exploration of the role of context and action in the broader field of organization and management theory, illustrated by examples from health care research. In their own right, both context and action are essential theoretical concepts rooted in philosophical reflections. Moreover, they pose potential methodological challenges to research in the fields of organization and management. The context–action relationship deals with issues relating to questions such as what is organizational change and how can we study it empirically? How are macro- and microlevel events or actions connected, and how do they influence and co-constitute each other through their relationships across analytical levels? The book distinguishes between context as a theoretical construct, on the one hand, and as methodological approach (i.e., how we operationalize and use the concept in the research process) on the other.