Interdisciplinary Social Science Research Articles

Best Practice Recommendations for Replicating Experiments in Public Administration

Abstract Replication is an important mechanism through which broad lessons for theory and practice can be drawn in the applied interdisciplinary social science field of public administration. We suggest a common replication framework for public administration that is illustrated by experimental work in the field. Drawing on knowledge from other disciplines, together with our experience in replicating several experiments on topics such as decision making, organizational rules, and government–citizen relationships, we provide an overview of the replication process. We then distill this knowledge into seven decision points that offer a clear set of best practices on how to design and implement replications in public administration. We conclude by arguing that replication should be part of the normal scientific process in public administration to help to build valid middle-range theories and provide valuable lessons to practice.

Exteme Enacted Environments in Sensemaking Episodes: A Mixed-method Study of Ferguson Missouri

The fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Weick's The Social Psychology of Organizing is catalyzing international research on the anatomy of sensemaking episodes (Tsoukas, Patriotta, Sutcliffe, & Maitlis, 2017). Simultaneously, business schools around the world are being asked to participate in interdisciplinary social science research agendas that have the reduction of human suffering as an explicit global grand challenge (var der Vegt, Essens, Wahlstrom, & George, 2015). In response, we used a mixed-method research methodology to study enacted extreme environments in sensemaking episode. First, we conducted on-the-ground fieldwork in Ferguson, Missouri, with people from several constituencies who experienced the racial unrest after the 9 August 2014 shooting of Michael Brown (an African-American man) in Ferguson, Missouri, in the United States, by a White police officer. Second, we conducted a qualitative meta- analysis of sensemaking episodes embedded in 138 management research articles on extreme contexts (Hallgren, Rouleau, & de Rond, 2018). The juxtaposition of rich data from a single sensemaking episode and rich data from multiple sensemaking episodes allowed us to elaborate nine components of sensemaking episodes: bracketed triggering events, deference-to-expertise leadership, extreme team decision-losing, improvisational retrospective audits, commitment to identity- leveraging improvisation, improvisational social sense-giving, extreme team decision-remaking, reluctance-to-simplify reorganizing, and re- equilibrium tipping points.

In search of behavioural and social levers for effective social housing retrofit programs

Our study proposes to analyze from a social practice and behavioural economics perspective the factors that influence a mismatch between energy behaviour and retrofit efficacy in the context of social housing. Retrofit interventions not only have the potential of improving energy efficiency of buildings, but they also change the context in which individuals live, therefore improving their wellbeing at home. However, the surrounding social context might suggest some context-specific practices and cognitive biases that negatively influence energy behaviour, creating a gap between expected and actual energy performance.Addressing the context-specific practices and cognitive biases is especially necessary when it comes to social housing. Social housing neighbourhoods are not only low-energy efficient, but also socially vulnerable. This context might shape specific practices and make salient specific cognitive biases which require special consideration within an energy retrofit program.The ambition of this study is to understand the context-specific practices and cognitive biases that characterize the pre-refurbishment phase of a retrofit program and to identify the ones that can be used as behavioural and social levers to enhance retrofit efficacy. To this aim, we analyze the results of a questionnaire administered to the tenants of a social housing district through the lenses of social practice theory and behavioural economics. Our results show that analysing tenants’ behaviour through an interdisciplinary social science approach allows to identify a range of context-specific variables that can be used as levers to align behaviour to retrofit interventions.

Identifying Interdisciplinary Social Science Research Based on Article Classification

Identifying Interdisciplinary Social Science Research Based on Article Classification

Gaps in Training in Interdisciplinary Social and Behavioral Sciences and Applications Among Undergraduate and Graduate Students in the 22 Top-Ranked Schools of Public Health in China

The next generation of public health professionals requires rigorous training in behavioral health, in order to design effective behavioral interventions to respond effectively to the epidemiological transition in China. This study aimed to investigate issues in training in social and behavioral sciences in public health in China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1285 and 835 last-year undergraduate and graduate public health students in 2013. The results showed that (1) majority of undergraduate students but a minority of graduate students had enrolled in psychology, social medicine, and health promotion courses; (2) very few had enrolled in other social and behavioral sciences courses; (3) high percentages of students perceived significance, needs, and interests related to social sciences courses; (4) very few were familiar with commonly used behavioral health theories and constructs, or had applied such theories/constructs to their thesis. The situation deviates from international accreditation requirement. A timely review and benchmarking are warranted.

Six Sigma and organisational ambidexterity: a systematic review and conceptual framework

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between Six Sigma methodology and organisational ambidexterity (exploitation and exploration orientations). For this purpose, this study describes how Six Sigma practices may enhance both orientations simultaneously, contributing to organisational ambidexterity and performance improvements.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review was adopted as the research methodology. The authors analysed 512 publications in Social Science Citation Index journals in fields such as management, business, operation research management science, planning development, behavioural sciences, interdisciplinary social sciences and applied psychology from 1987 to 2016, as the first development and adoption of Six Sigma was in 1987 by Motorola.FindingsThis analysis describes how Six Sigma emphasises not only useful practices for exploitation orientation, such as customer input, design for manufacturability or improvement and control of processes, but also explorative practices, such as discovery, novelty or innovation. Consequently, an adequate combination of all these practices may enhance organisational ambidexterity and organisational success.Research limitations/implicationsThis study relies exclusively on previously published literature that fulfilled the selection criteria described in the search methodology. Further empirical research is necessary to test the propositions included in this paper.Practical implicationsThis study has important implications for academics, practitioners and employers, as it furnishes new theoretical insights to the scarce literature that studies the relationship between quality management practices and organisational ambidexterity. The authors provide a better understanding of Six Sigma philosophy and some fresh and new insight on how Six Sigma practices may help organisation develop distinctive competitive competences by its influence over exploration and exploitation orientations (ambidexterity). Therefore, it might be of interest to those practitioners interested in achieving a successful competitive position and discover emerging business opportunities, as it may provide some guidance on the important implication of Six Sigma practices over exploration and exploitation orientations.Originality/valueThis study provides new insights into the non-existent literature about Six Sigma and organisational ambidexterity and to the scarce literature about quality management and ambidexterity. Propositions on how Six Sigma practices benefit organisational ambidexterity are also suggested.

LCHC: the evolution of a hybrid collaboratory

ABSTRACTThe focus of this paper is the role and context of electronic mail and Internet use in the evolution of the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition (LCHC) at UC San Diego, a long-lived international and interdisciplinary social science collaboratory or “laboratory without walls”. I analyse excerpts from LCHC publications, presentations, project reports, websites and archival materials to show how LCHC performs the functions of two collaboratory subtypes (Distributed Research Centre and Virtual Community of Practice) identified in the Science of Collaboratories literature. Strategic use of information and computing technology (ICT) amplified members’ inclusive practices predating the Internet to support collocated and distant researchers. Furthermore, becoming a hybrid collaboratory using ICT to support said practices was crucial to LCHC's sustainability. While prior research on collaboratories identified taxonomies (success factors, main functions), this paper explores connections between collaboratory technology use, membership and sustainability. LCHC members’ adaptation to organisational challenges over several decades may be of interest to scholars of early uses of the Internet to support international and interdisciplinary work.

The Tower of Babble: Mother Tongue and Multilingualism in India

The Tower of Babble: Mother Tongue and Multilingualism in India

Anticipating the Psychosocial Impact of Disasters and Crises: The Need for an Interdisciplinary Social Science Framework

Anticipating the Psychosocial Impact of Disasters and Crises: The Need for an Interdisciplinary Social Science Framework

An Evaluation of Three Interdisciplinary Social Science Events Outside of the College Classroom

ABSTRACTThis article describes three interdisciplinary events held outside of the classroom to examine social psychological concepts in the criminal justice system, with undergraduate students enrolled in criminal justice and psychology courses. These events can most accurately be described as using a synthetic interdisciplinary approach, in which the disciplines of psychology and criminal justice remain clearly identifiable in looking at phenomena like occurrences of bystander apathy, while enabling a holistic view of these phenomena. First, 75 students celebrated the life of Kitty Genovese, a famous victim of bystander apathy. Later in the semester, the same students competed in a game-show-like review session. Finally, 45 students explored the intersection of the mental health and criminal justice systems with professionals from various fields. Overall, students enjoyed the social interaction with their peers across the majors, as well as with their professors and professionals in the field. Students also indicated that the interactive learning techniques enhanced their new understanding of the intersection of the disciplines. Future research should investigate the offering of interdisciplinary events to students within and across academic divisions to build community and enhance students' understanding of their educational and career opportunities.

The FinTech phenomenon: antecedents of financial innovation perceived by the popular press

The financial industry has been strongly influenced by digitalization in the past few years reflected by the emergence of “FinTech,” which represents the marriage of “finance” and “information technology.” FinTech provides opportunities for the creation of new services and business models and poses challenges to traditional financial service providers. Therefore, FinTech has become a subject of debate among practitioners, investors, and researchers and is highly visible in the popular media. In this study, we unveil the drivers motivating the FinTech phenomenon perceived by the English and German popular press including the subjects discussed in the context of FinTech. This study is the first one to reflect the media perspective on the FinTech phenomenon in the research. In doing so, we extend the growing knowledge on FinTech and contribute to a common understanding in the financial and digital innovation literature. These study contributes to research in the areas of information systems, finance and interdisciplinary social sciences. Moreover, it brings value to practitioners (entrepreneurs, investors, regulators, etc.), who explore the field of FinTech.

Economics for the Curious. Inside the Minds of 12 Nobel Laureates

1. Depressions are Different Paul Krugman 2. Rethinking Economics: A Classical Perspective Vernon L. Smith 3. Employment and Unemployment Peter Diamond 4. Unemployment During and After the Great Recession Dale T. Mortensen 5. Long Term Trends and Stuctural Change in the Global Economy Michael Spence 6. On Policy Consistency Finn E. Kydland 7. Natural Resources and Sustainability Robert Solow 8. Research Studies Approaching Cooperative Games with New Methods John F. Nash, Jr 9. Interdisciplinary Social Science: The Transaction Cost Economics Project Oliver E. Williamson 10. Financing Retirement William F. Sharpe 11. How Should We Elect Our Leaders? Eric Maskin 12. Standards for State-Building Interventions Roger Myerson

Transformative Graduate Education Through the Use of Restorative Practices

This chapter discusses key findings from two recent studies that examine transformative learning experiences in a restorative practices–based graduate program at the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP). Restorative practices is a new interdisciplinary social science that studies the development and maintenance of relationships and community through participatory learning and decision‐making.

THE PHILOSOPHICAL ETHOLOGY OF ROBERTO MARCHESINI

Central to the work of Roberto Marchesini is a sustained critical engagement with the sciences of animal behavior. Drawing on veterinary, biological, and philosophical training, he critiques the legacy of Cartesianism that sees animals as machines at the same time as acknowledging the importance of biological knowledge and approaches for understanding animals. Further, he offers his own version of a zooanthropological and posthumanist method for the future of ethology as an interdisciplinary social science founded on shared existence, interaction, and understanding. His reframing of questions around biological and cultural continuity in turn refigures received notions of identity, animality, and the origin of culture itself.

Mark A. May

Underappreciated by historians of the human sciences, educational psychologist Mark A. May played a key role in managing and formulating the policy of the Institute of Human Relations at Yale University, initially as the institute’s executive secretary, then as its director, from 1930 to 1960. Moreover, during the 1920s, the 1930s and after, he participated in a number of conferences, seminars, committees and other projects sponsored by the Social Science Research Council and Rockefeller philanthropic organizations. Focusing on May’s efforts during the interwar period, this article will examine how May worked to advance an integrated program in the psychological and social sciences affiliated with the field of personality and culture. For May, a human engineering agenda geared toward the socialization and education of the individual was intimately connected to his vision of interdisciplinary social science.

Mnemonic multiples: the case of the columbia panel studies.

This article uses the Bureau of Applied Social Research's mid-century book-length panel studies-The People's Choice (1944), Voting (1954), and Personal Influence (1955)-to identify and illustrate a neglected phenomenon in the remembered history of social science: mnemonic multiples. The article describes the way that the Bureau books, originally published into a post-World War II interdisciplinary social science milieu, have since come to be remembered along distinct disciplinary tracks by sociologists, political scientists, and communication researchers. A contextual analysis of references to the Bureau studies in the flagship journals of the three disciplines, from 1960 through 2011, provides tentative support for the mnemonic multiples concept.

The pedagogical purposes of interdisciplinary social science: a view from area studies in the United States.

"Interdisciplinarity" is widely praised in modern academe for its apparent ability to generate important research results and contribute to scholarly innovation. This essay examines a crucial case of interdisciplinary work in the humanities and social sciences: the area studies complex that emerged in the United States after World War II. Examining both celebrations and critiques of area studies, this essay concludes that the enterprise made a major contribution to national life not through the production of scholarship (the usual focus of historians of higher education) but through the innovative model of undergraduate teaching and graduate training that expanded the geographic and linguistic horizons of American undergraduate and graduate life. A final section of the essay suggests the relevance of this pedagogical focus for contemporary debates about the future of area studies.

Nanoethics and Policy Education: a Case Study of Social Science Coursework and Student Engagement with Emerging Technologies

The article analyzes the integration of a module on nanotechnology, ethics, and policy into a required second-year social science course at a technological university. It investigates not simply the effectiveness of student learning about the technical aspects of nanotechnology but about how issues explored in an interdisciplinary social science course might influence student opinions about the potential of nanotechnology to benefit the developing world. The authors find a correlation between student opinions about the risks and benefits of nanotechnology for the developing world with their judgment of whether nanotechnology fits comparative, historical models for development.

The crisis in economics: What can it tell us about social science?

The discipline of economics is currently facing a severe crisis, in the wake of the financial collapse of 2008. But there have been growing criticisms of the discipline, from within as well as from outside, for over two decades. In this paper the lessons that can be learned from this crisis by other social sciences are examined. It is argued that the main source of the problem is not so much the character of the discipline itself as the public role that it has been assigned, and taken on, purporting to offer a comprehensive practical perspective that serves as a basis for policy-making, and for practical decision-making more generally. Many social scientists crave a similar role for their own discipline, or for a broader interdisciplinary social science. In this article, I argue that this represents a failure to learn the lesson that the crisis in economics teaches.

Visual Persuasion as an Interdisciplinary Social Science

Visual Persuasion as an Interdisciplinary Social Science