Statistics policy
Statistics self -criticism, by Jacky Fayolle
A collection of articles restores the contribution of Alain Desrosières to the study of statistical practices. The author first recalls that statisticians produce the standards of society before measuring the effect of variables. It then illustrates the tension between the search for objectivity of the measure and political uses to produce reality.
Statistics, a diverted public service, by Marion Selz
An anonymous set of civil servants from public research and statistical specialists report government pressures regarding the encrypted results they produce in their respective services. Clear and educational, the book opens access to the production methods of public statistics.
Ethnic statistics and quantification of social groups
The use of ethnic categories in debate, by Mirna Safi
Ten years after the review Populationthere French Sociology Review has just published a dossier-debate on the use of ethnic categories in sociology. Contributions make it possible to measure the growing social and political legitimacy of these instruments.
Ethnic statistics and citizenship, by Jean-Luc Richard
Following the article published last June by Mirna Safi on the use of ethnic categories in the social sciences, the sociologist and demographer Jean-Luc Richard wished to react to challenge the scientific nature of these categories with vigor.
How to quantify social groups ?, by Gianluca Manzo
Quantifying social groups is a problem as political as it is epistemological. There Tocqueville review publishes a file that registers the construction of “ ethnic statistics In the more general problem of the quantification of complex concepts which refer both to the individual and social identity of the actors and to certain fundamental values of contemporary societies.
Podcast
Economic indicators in a democracy, by Florian Mayneris
The request for statistical indicators continues to increase, in order to help public decision -making or to guide the choices made by companies. However, we have been witnessing for a few years a growing gap between the public perception of certain economic phenomena and the information produced by statisticians. Failure of the statistical information system or bad apprehension of reality by citizens ? This is the central question addressed by this round table.
The economy of happiness, by Florian Mayneris
It is a new and relatively exotic theme for economists that was discussed during this round table: happiness. Based on data from international surveys where individuals are asked about their well-being, economists try to identify the sources of variation in happiness with macroeconomic and microeconomic levels.
Methodology
Pisa : a wobbly survey ?, by Julien Grenet
Surveys Pisa On students’ achievements, the media usually retain only sensation rankings, not very favorable to France ; This is the most fragile aspect of these investigations, or even absurd from a statistical point of view. While their methodological qualities make it possible to highlight the specific strengths and weaknesses of the French school – provided that we learn to read them.
History and statistics, by David Valence
After the controversies between historians and Durkheimiens at the start of XXe century, after the great years of history “ economic and social “, After the” Back to storytelling In the 1980s, the time has come to reconcile historians with quantitative methods. A manual opportunely comes to develop.
Practical work
Localism in the academic world: an evaluation test, by Olivier Godechot & Alexandra Louvet
University localism: ethics of fidelity or perverse clientelism ? To identify the magnitude of the favoritism which the local candidates take advantage of, Olivier Godechot and Alexandra Louvet established a measure from an original base, that of the theses supported between 1972 and 1996. The results are edifying.
The measurement of discrimination by the criminal judge, by Fabien Jobard
Due to the absence of statistics called “ ethnic In France, researchers do not have data on discrimination possibly produced by the criminal judge. To overcome this lack, Fabien Jobard, researcher at Cnrsexamined the decisions rendered by a Paris region court with regard to offenses of contempt, rebellion and violence against agents posted by the public force. Its study makes it possible to considerably put the widespread idea into perspective according to which the judges would not be insensitive to the skin color in their judgments.
Demystification of the ideology of associative work, by Denis Bernardeau Moreau & Matthieu Hély
Adorned with all virtues, the “ associative democracy Is supposed to take over from a partisan life and breathless union, and offer everyone of means of expression and participation. The reality as it can be observed from different statistical surveys, is quite significantly moving from this representation. Not only is the sociology of volunteering and associative engagement much more selective than you think, but the professionalization of the associative world accelerates its transformation.
Labor conflicts are increasing ?, by Baptiste Giraud & Jérôme Pélisse
Contrary to popular belief, social conflicts do not decrease in the world of work. If we take into account the plurality of modes of action, they would even tend to increase. Based on an analysis of the investigation ANSWERJérôme Pélisse and Baptiste Giraud offer a less dark inventory than expected from the mobilization power of employees.
Is a science of happiness possible ?, by Marie Duru-Bellat
A society that is enriched is not necessarily a society of happy people: this is the observation that Richard Layard poses to the foundation of his “ New science of happiness ». Replacing the cult of growth with the quest for collective happiness is however not devoid of political ambiguities, as Marie Duru-Bellat points out.
Diversity and social confidence, by Élois Laurent
While France tries to fix – if necessary necessary – a fortunately fleeting identity, a poisoned thesis reaches us from where we were waiting for it: a progressive American political scientist supports, empirical proofs in support, that diversity “ racial “Leads to civic discomfort.
External links
Social quantities / sciences
French Statistics Company
The Revue website History and measurement
Christian Baudelot evokes the work he made with Roger Establet from data from the survey Pisa (video).
A series of articles posted in free access by the magazine Human sciences and directed by Alain Degenne and Michel Forsé.
Penmber.org: Association indicated by Marion Selz in his article
Questalelet network
The review of Olivier Martin’s work by Pierre Mercklé on links-socio.org.
Photo (CC): Mac Steve