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Week 0: Sociology as a problem-guided, empirical-theoreticaldiscipline
Empirical research starts with a problem. To study this problem, we find a
suiting theory. Through empirical research, we check if the theory is or is
not right in this situation. This leads to a new problem.
In this lecture, the example of segregation is used for theory building. A
typical example of segregation we can see on residential, labour and
political level. Segregation occurs because of prejudice, preference of in-
group members and the clusters of a type of houses (expensive
neighbourhoods versus cheap neighbourhoods.
The index of segregation is the percentage of minorities that has to move
to reach a distribution in a certain area that is equal to the rest of the
population. For example: When in The Netherlands the percentage of
blacks is 30% and whites 70% and there’s a neighbourhood with 10%
blacks and 90% whites, the segregation index is 20%. We reach perfect
integration when the distribution of each neighbourhood is equal to the
distribution of the rest of the population.
There are different kinds of problems:
- Descriptive problems: trends over time: how has de segregation
been changed?
- Explanatory problems: why does segregation occur?, the task is to
find informative and empirically confirmed theories (social-science
researcher)
- Problems of institutional design: (for example:) how to reduce
residential segregation? The aim is to develop behavioural strategies
based on given policy aims and (scientific) knowledge (policy
maker/-advisor).
- Normative problems: How much of segregation is normally
acceptable? The task is to provide guidelines for behaviour (writer,
journalist, essayist)
The logic of empirical tests of theories is to derive empirically testable
implications from the proposed theories, to compare these implications
with the data and to draw a conclusion: refutation or corroboration.
How to discuss a theory: empirical test, comparison to other theories,
checking the empirical testability and logical consistency.
Common sense
We could answer sociologic questions through common sense; the routine
knowledge we have everyday of our world and activities (gezond
verstand).
An example of the common sense theory on residential segregation:
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