Methods: Analysing Social Processes
Industrial Ecology Y1Q2, 2022
Summary and Lecture notes
Contents:
In chronological order:
o ‘Live’ lectures (including guest lectures) – L1 tm L10, L12
recorded lecture content in practice, used mainly for
deepening understanding/providing context
o All pre-recorded lectures – R1 tm R11
Integrated the questions/answers from the weekly quizzes (if they
provided explanation)
Lecture 1: Introduction - Amineh
Course goals:
- Knowledge on different research approaches and methods
- Requirements and limitations of different types of research methods
- Judge which method fits which problem
- Design a research process based on the societal issue and research
questions given
- Develop theories and propositions about social phenomena
Lecture 2: Policy analysis – Pieter Bots
Policy analysis: try to understand ex ante what policy changes will do.
Applying scientific methods to policy contexts.
- try to understand the system (structure behavior)
- identify feasible interventions for the client and evaluate ex ante
“What if…”
Go from observations to diagnosis to intervention
Research for what purpose? (hexagon model below)
- Research and analyze
- Design and recommend
- Provide strategic advice
- Mediate
- Democratize
- Clarify arguments and values
framework for understanding and designing policy, what kinds of
research is (this) intended for.
Translates into six ‘styles’ of policy analysis
1
,Problem analysis
- Actor: client
- Gap: dissatisfaction with present or foreseen situation
- Action space: alternative options that affect the situation
- Dilemma: each option has pros and cons
Actors interact in policy arenas problem perceptions, institutions (rules
of the game), resource dependence and coalition forming
make a resource dependence diagram between actors (network)
- Loops: signify that actors have (mutual) dependency; potential for a
‘package deal’
- The longer the chain, the more vulnerable
- Connectivity = the number of links
Power vs interest diagram
2
, Notes:
Subjects: no power, dependent on the
rest
Players: everyone with resources can
be a player
Context setters: determine the rule of
the game
Actors
- behave intentionally and are (bounded) rational they have action
capability, perceptions and preferences which should be taken into
account with policy analysis.
- Actors in networks are polycentric and have complex/unstructured
decision making processes
- ‘Rules’ give authority e.g. diplomas
Analyses aim to uncover/model these elements:
- Model snapshot of dynamic context
- Because actors learn, static models have limited validity
Recorded lecture 1: introduction to scientific research - Amineh
Science: systematic and organized body of knowledge in any area or
inquiry that is acquired using ‘the scientific method’.
- Natural vs social science
- The purpose is to create scientific knowledge; refers to a
generalized body of laws and theories to explain a phenomenon or
behavior of interest discover laws and postulate theories
Laws are descriptions of observed patterns of phenomena or behaviors
Theories are systematic explanations of the underlying phenomenon or
behavior
- Law predicts what happens while theories propose why.
Theories and observations are the two pillars of science, which operate at
two levels: theoretical and empirical.
- Theoretical level: concerned with developing abstract concepts
about a natural or social phenomenon and relationships between
those concepts (i.e. build ‘theories)
- Empirical level: concerned with testing the theoretical concepts
and relationships to see how well they reflect our observations of
reality, with the goal of ultimately improving theories.
3
Industrial Ecology Y1Q2, 2022
Summary and Lecture notes
Contents:
In chronological order:
o ‘Live’ lectures (including guest lectures) – L1 tm L10, L12
recorded lecture content in practice, used mainly for
deepening understanding/providing context
o All pre-recorded lectures – R1 tm R11
Integrated the questions/answers from the weekly quizzes (if they
provided explanation)
Lecture 1: Introduction - Amineh
Course goals:
- Knowledge on different research approaches and methods
- Requirements and limitations of different types of research methods
- Judge which method fits which problem
- Design a research process based on the societal issue and research
questions given
- Develop theories and propositions about social phenomena
Lecture 2: Policy analysis – Pieter Bots
Policy analysis: try to understand ex ante what policy changes will do.
Applying scientific methods to policy contexts.
- try to understand the system (structure behavior)
- identify feasible interventions for the client and evaluate ex ante
“What if…”
Go from observations to diagnosis to intervention
Research for what purpose? (hexagon model below)
- Research and analyze
- Design and recommend
- Provide strategic advice
- Mediate
- Democratize
- Clarify arguments and values
framework for understanding and designing policy, what kinds of
research is (this) intended for.
Translates into six ‘styles’ of policy analysis
1
,Problem analysis
- Actor: client
- Gap: dissatisfaction with present or foreseen situation
- Action space: alternative options that affect the situation
- Dilemma: each option has pros and cons
Actors interact in policy arenas problem perceptions, institutions (rules
of the game), resource dependence and coalition forming
make a resource dependence diagram between actors (network)
- Loops: signify that actors have (mutual) dependency; potential for a
‘package deal’
- The longer the chain, the more vulnerable
- Connectivity = the number of links
Power vs interest diagram
2
, Notes:
Subjects: no power, dependent on the
rest
Players: everyone with resources can
be a player
Context setters: determine the rule of
the game
Actors
- behave intentionally and are (bounded) rational they have action
capability, perceptions and preferences which should be taken into
account with policy analysis.
- Actors in networks are polycentric and have complex/unstructured
decision making processes
- ‘Rules’ give authority e.g. diplomas
Analyses aim to uncover/model these elements:
- Model snapshot of dynamic context
- Because actors learn, static models have limited validity
Recorded lecture 1: introduction to scientific research - Amineh
Science: systematic and organized body of knowledge in any area or
inquiry that is acquired using ‘the scientific method’.
- Natural vs social science
- The purpose is to create scientific knowledge; refers to a
generalized body of laws and theories to explain a phenomenon or
behavior of interest discover laws and postulate theories
Laws are descriptions of observed patterns of phenomena or behaviors
Theories are systematic explanations of the underlying phenomenon or
behavior
- Law predicts what happens while theories propose why.
Theories and observations are the two pillars of science, which operate at
two levels: theoretical and empirical.
- Theoretical level: concerned with developing abstract concepts
about a natural or social phenomenon and relationships between
those concepts (i.e. build ‘theories)
- Empirical level: concerned with testing the theoretical concepts
and relationships to see how well they reflect our observations of
reality, with the goal of ultimately improving theories.
3
