| 1. |
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Advances in Social Simulation : Looking in the Mirror
- 2020
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Proceedings (redaktörskap) (refereegranskat)abstract
- This book presents the state-of-the-art in social simulation as presented at the Social Simulation Conference 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden. It covers the developments in applications and methods of social simulation, addressing societal issues such as socio-ecological systems and policy making. Methodological issues discussed include large-scale empirical calibration, model sharing and interdisciplinary research, as well as decision making models, validation and the use of qualitative data in simulation modeling. Research areas covered include archaeology, cognitive science, economics, organization science, and social simulation education. This collection gives readers insight into the increasing use of social simulation in both its theoretical development and in practical applications such as policy making whereby modelling and the behavior of complex systems is key. The book will appeal to students, researchers and professionals in the various fields.
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| 2. |
- Ale Ebrahim Dehkordi, Molood, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term dynamics of institutions : Using ABM as a complementary tool to support theory development in historical studies
- 2021
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Ingår i: JASSS. - : Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation. - 1460-7425. ; 24:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Historical data are valuable resources for providing insights into social patterns in the past. However, these data often inform us at the macro-level of analysis but not about the role of individuals’ behaviours in the emergence of long-term patterns. Therefore, it is difficult to infer ‘how’ and ‘why’ certain patterns emerged in the past. Historians use various methods to draw hypotheses about the underlying reasons for emerging patterns and trends, but since the patterns are the results of hundreds if not thousands of years of human behaviour, these hypotheses can never be tested in reality. Our proposition is that simulation models and specifically, agent-based models (ABMs) can be used as complementary tools in historical studies to support hypothesis building. The approach that we propose and test in this paper is to design and configure models in such a way as to generate historical patterns, consequently aiming to find individual-level explanations for the emerging pattern. In this work, we use an existing, empirically validated, agent-based model of common pool resource management to test hypotheses formulated based on a historical dataset. We first investigate whether the model can replicate various patterns observed in the dataset, and second, whether it can contribute to a better understanding of the underlying mechanism that led to the observed empirical trends. We showcase how ABM can be used as a complementary tool to support theory development in historical studies. Finally, we provide some guidelines for using ABM as a tool to test historical hypotheses.
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| 3. |
- Aliakbar, Akbaritabar, et al.
(författare)
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The impact of a national research assessment on the publications of sociologists in Italy
- 2021
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Ingår i: Science and Public Policy. - : Oxford University Press. - 0302-3427 .- 1471-5430. ; 48:5, s. 662-678
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article investigates the impact of the second national research assessment (VQR 2004–10), which was performed in 2011 by the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes, on publication strategies by sociologists in Italy. We reconstructed all publications from Italian sociologists in Scopus between 2006 and 2015, that is five years before and after the assessment. We also checked academic tenure and promotions during the assessment. Our results showed the potentially distortive effect of institutional signals on publications given that Italian sociologists published more in journals that were considered influential for assessment, some, however, being of doubtful quality. Our findings would suggest that the use of informed peer review and ad hoc journal ranking could stimulate adaptive responses based on strategic journal targeting to ensure publication.
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| 4. |
- Bravo, Giangiacomo, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Actions speak louder than words : Attitudes, behaviour, and partisan identity in a polarised environmental domain
- 2022
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Ingår i: Energy Research & Social Science. - : Elsevier. - 2214-6296 .- 2214-6326. ; 90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The relationship between environmental attitudes and behaviour is known to be weak, especially when these variables are measured as self-report items in surveys. In addition many environmental questions are highly polarised, making it even more problematic to use survey data to inform policy making. To better explore the attitude–behaviour gap in the context of environmental policies, along with its interaction with partisan identity, we ran an online experiment with 805 U.S. residents. Four key variables – environmental attitudes, self-reported environmental behaviour, observed environmental behaviour (in the form of carbon-offset credit purchase), and partisan identity – were measured, and their interactions in promoting pro-environmental behaviour were analysed. We found that (1) self-reported and real behaviour are almost uncorrelated and (2) partisan identity mainly predicted self-reported not actual environmental behaviour. These results suggest that policy-making needs to rely more on behavioural insight to test policies’ actual effects and to promote real improvement of the local and global environment.
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| 5. |
- Bravo, Giangiacomo, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Cooperation and conflict in segregated populations
- 2020
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Ingår i: Social science computer review. - Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications. - 0894-4393 .- 1552-8286. ; 38:4, s. 405-421
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Humans behavior often varies depending on the opponent’s group membership, with both positive consequences (e.g., cooperation or mutual help) and negative ones (e.g., stereotyping, oppression, or even genocide). An influential model developed by Hammond and Axelrod (HA) highlighted the emergence of macrolevel “ethnocentric cooperation” from the aggregation of microlevel interactions based on arbitrary tags signaling group membership. We extended this model to include a wider set of agents’ behaviors including the possibility of harming others. This allowed to check whether and under which conditions xenophobia can emerge beside or in alternative to ethnocentric cooperation. The model was compared to Swedish data documenting social unrest and proxies of cooperative behaviors at the municipal level. The validation results supported the model predictions on conflict but not the ones on cooperation, casting doubts on HA’s original argument.
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| 6. |
- De Moor, Tine, et al.
(författare)
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Taking sanctioning seriously : The impact of sanctions on the resilience of historical commons in Europe
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Rural Studies. - : Elsevier. - 0743-0167 .- 1873-1392. ; 87, s. 181-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In their studies of collective exploitation of common-pool resources, Ostrom and other scholars have stressed the importance of sanctioning as an essential method for preventing overuse and, eventually, the collapse of commons. However, most of the available evidence is based on data covering a relatively small period in history, and thus does not inform us about the evolution of rules, including sanctions, over time. In this article, we demonstrate, based on historical sources covering several centuries, that sanctioning was not always the preferred way of preventing or dealing with free-riding in institutions for collective action, but that the legal context is decisive to understand why commoners in some countries were using more sanctions than those in others to regulate commoners' behavior. Commoners that could self-govern their resources used fewer sanctions, and when they did, it was mainly to avoid overuse of their most vulnerable resources. Moreover, graduated sanctioning seems to be less important than suggested in Ostrom's famous Design Principles, and was reserved primarily for immediate threats to the commons' resources. We also show the importance of other types of rules, such as differentiated rules, which have hardly been taken into account in literature to date.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Farjam, Mike, et al.
(författare)
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Dangerous liaisons : an online experiment on the role of scientific experts and politicians in ensuring public support for anti-COVID measures
- 2021
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Ingår i: Royal Society Open Science. - : The Royal Society publishing. - 2054-5703. ; 8:3, s. 1-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The effectiveness of public health measures to prevent COVID-19 contagion has required less vulnerable citizens to pay an individual cost in terms of personal liberty infringement to protect more vulnerable groups. However, the close relationship between scientific experts and politicians in providing information on COVID-19 measures makes it difficult to understand which communication source was more effective in increasing pro-social behaviour. Here, we present an online experiment performed in May 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic on 1131 adult residents in Lombardy, Italy, one of the world's hardest hit regions. Results showed that when scientific experts recommended anti-contagion measures, participants were more sensitive to pro-social motivations, unlike whenever these measures were recommended by politicians and scientific experts together. Our findings suggest the importance of trusted sources in public communication during a pandemic.
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| 9. |
- Farjam, Mike, et al.
(författare)
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Do you really believe that? The effect of economic incentives on the acceptance of real-world data in a polarized context
- 2024
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Ingår i: Royal Society Open Science. - : Royal Society. - 2054-5703. ; 11:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Attitudes and expectations towards others are major drivers of political polarization. However, there is limited understanding of their relevance when decisions with high stakes are taken. In this study, we compare self-reported attitudes against economically incentivized estimates of data coming from official sources and offer participants financial rewards for accuracy. Our methodology yields three principal findings. (i) Extreme attitudes from a small partisan subgroup primarily account for the observed partisan divide; this subgroup diminishes when incentivized estimates are considered. (ii) There is a weak correlation between economically incentivized and unincentivized measures within individual respondents. (iii) We introduce a novel metric for assessing perceived polarization. This metric allows participants to estimate data points for those with opposing political views, rewarding accurate predictions financially. Interestingly, this measure of perceived polarization correlates with attitudes but not with incentivized data estimates. This is in line with the concept of ‘false polarization’, attributing polarization more to expectations towards others than to genuine differences. These findings challenge the reliability of standard attitude surveys and suggest avenues for mitigating perceived polarization in contentious issues.
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| 10. |
- Farjam, Mike, 1986-, et al.
(författare)
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Fixing sample biases in experimental data using agent-based modelling
- 2020
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Ingår i: Advances in social simulation. - Cham : Springer Nature. - 9783030341268 - 9783030341275 ; , s. 155-159
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present how agent-based models can be used to correct for biases in a sample. The approach is generally useful for behavioural experiments where participants interact over time. The model we developed copied mechanics of a behavioural experiment conducted earlier, and agents in the model faced the same strategic choices as human participants did. We used the data from the experiment to calibrate agent behaviour such that agents reproduced patterns observed in the experiment. After this learning phase, we resampled agents such that their characteristics (political orientation) were similar to those found in the real world. We found that after the correction for the bias, agents produced patterns closer to those commonly found.
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| 11. |
- Forsman, Anders, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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Comparisons of historical Dutch commons inform about the long-term dynamics of social-ecological systems
- 2021
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - San Francisco : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 16:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human societies and natural ecosystems are under threat by growing populations, overexploitation of natural resources and climate change. This calls for more sustainable utilization of resources based on past experiences and insights from many different disciplines. Interdisciplinary approaches to studies of historical commons have potential to identify drivers of change and keys to success in the past, and offer advice about the management and use of shared resources in contemporary and future systems. We address these issues by applying an ecological perspective to historical data on social-ecological systems. We perform comparisons and time series analyses for nine successful Dutch commons for which high-resolution data on the regulatory activities and use of shared resources is available for on average 380 years (range 236 to 568) during the period 1300 to 1972. Within commons, institutional developments were oscillating, with periods of intense regulatory activity being separated by periods of low activity, and with the dynamics of regulations being largely independent across commons. Ecological theory posits that species that occupy similar niches should show correlated responses to environmental challenges; however, commons using more similar resources did not have more parallel or similar institutional developments. One notable exception was that sanctioning was more frequent in commons that directed more regulatory activities towards non-renewable subsoil resources, whereas there was no association between sanctioning and the use of renewable resources. This might indicate that commoners were aware of potential resource depletion and attempted to influence freeriding by actively trying to solve the underlying social dilemmas. Sanctioning regulations were more frequent during the first than during the second part of a common’s life, indicating that while sanctioning might have been important for the establishment of commons it was not key to the long-term persistence of historical commons.
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| 12. |
- Forsman, Anders, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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Eco-evolutionary perspectives on emergence, dispersion and dissolution of historical Dutch commons
- 2020
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 15:7, s. 1-21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Historical commons represent self-governed governance regimes that regulate the use and management of natural and man-made shared resources. Despite growing scientific interests, analyses of commons evolution and temporal dynamics are rare and drivers of change (birth, adaptation, dissolution) remain obscure. We apply an interdisciplinary approach and address these issues from an eco-evolutionary perspective. Analyses of > 400 Dutch commons over more than a millennium (between the 9(th)and the 20(th)century) uncovered that most commons originated between 1200 and 1700, and that there was a particularly high rate of evolution during 1300-1550, a pattern intermediate to gradualism and punctuated equilibrium in biological evolution. Dissolutions of commons were rare prior to 1800 and peaked around 1850, comparable to a mass extinction in biology. Temporal trends in number, spatial distribution, density, and dispersion of historical commons were distinctive and resembled developments seen at the levels of species and individuals in the growth of biological communities and populations, in that they showed signs of saturation determined by the abundance and distribution of resources. The spatiotemporal dynamics of commons also pointed to important roles of social, economic and political factors, such as new reclamations of resources and pressure on resources due to population growth. Despite internal and external pressures, the self-governing commons studied here were very successful, in the sense that they persisted for on average >350 years. There was a weak positive relationship between the use of multiple resources and the lifespan of commons, resembling associations between diversity and persistence seen in biological systems. It is argued that eco-evolutionary perspectives can further the understanding of the long-term dynamics of commons as institutions for collective action, vitalize future research, improve management of shared goods, and advise about sustainable utilization of finite resources.
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| 13. |
- Garcia-Costa, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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The silver lining of COVID-19 restrictions : research output of academics under lockdown
- 2024
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Ingår i: Scientometrics. - : Springer. - 0138-9130 .- 1588-2861. ; 129, s. 1771-1786
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Serious concerns have been raised on the potentially negative impact of public measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic on academic research, including the closure of research facilities, and the challenges of lockdown. However, it is unclear whether COVID-related mobility restrictions have penalized academic productivity, and if this is the case, whether it has had an equal impact on all research areas and countries. Here, we examined about 9.2 million submissions to 2689 Elsevier journals in all research areas in 2018-2021 and estimated the impact of anti-COVID mobility restriction policies on submissions to journals. Results showed that anti-contagion public measures had a positive impact on academic productivity. However, submission patterns changed more in non-Western academic countries, with the exception of Italy, which had stringent lock-down measures. During the early stages of the pandemic, the abnormal peak of submission was dominated by health & medical researchers, whereas later, there was an increase in submissions to social science & economics journals. Although anti-contagion public measures have contributed to change academic work, it is difficult to estimate whether they will have any potentially long-term effect on the academic community- either positive or negative.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Ghorbani, Amineh, et al.
(författare)
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Institutional form versus function in a common property context : Thecredibility thesis tested through an agent-based model
- 2021
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Ingår i: Land use policy. - : Elsevier. - 0264-8377 .- 1873-5754. ; 102
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A key debate in the study on land, housing and natural resources revolves around the notion that general institutional forms (such as private, common, public, and likewise formal property rights) lead to a certain institutional performance (as may be expressed in terms of prices, transaction costs or sustainability). However, a modest, yet, growing stream in institutional analysis aims to move away from ‘merely describing the characteristics’ of institutions (i.e., form variables) to ‘performance or quality measures’ (i.e., function variables). Following this line of argument, the credibility thesis as put forward in this journal (Ho, 2014) postulates that the form of institutions is unrelated to their performance, and institutions are unintentional outcomes rather than designed artefacts. The primary goal of this research is to ascertain whether this dual prediction could be observed in a simulation model that is driven by agent behaviour and interaction, resulting in emerging institutions. We devise an empirically verified agent-based model within a classical thought experiment on a common property resource to validate the thesis’ predictions. First, our model confirms that different forms of institutions can have a similar performance. Second, we ascertain that successful institutions in difficult management situations can emerge (rather than being designed) that are beneficial for the sustainability of the common resource and the appropriators of that resource.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Kopacheva, Elizaveta
(författare)
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The resource model of political participation 2.0 : Protesting in semi-authoritarian regimes – A privilege of the privileged
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Transitioning to and sustaining democracy cannot be possible without active citizens joining protests, distributing political information, or representing fellow citizens in legislative institutions. Due to this, political-science research for several decades has tried to investigate why some citizens are involved in political decision-making while others prefer to refrain from it.Many scholars have suggested that citizens’ political participation is, at large, explained by their interest in politics and political knowledge. However, in the time of shifting towards the digital era, social media has substantially increased the speed and scope of information sharing and overall political knowledge. Additionally, attention seekers populating social networking sites promote mindfulness, consciousness, pro-activeness, and altruism, popularising online activism, boycotting, buycotting, and protesting. Yet, the scale of protest participation in semi-authoritarian regimes, which have a high potential to democratise, remains limited. If political interest or knowledge cannot really explain why this is the case, what can?In this dissertation, I tested hypotheses grounded in political-participation, social-capital, political-mobilisation, and rational-choice research traditions, as well as new hypotheses generated by studying the patterns in original data. In this fashion, I sought to find the underlying factors behind limited protest participation in semi-authoritarian regimes. By studying what is traditionally referred to as unconventional participation (e.g., online activism, petition-signing, and protesting) in democratic and semi-authoritarian regimes and participation in the Russian Federation as a representative case, I have developed an explanatory model of contemporary political participation. In the Russian context, the model proved to be 96% accurate at predicting protest participation.Based on the results of this study and those reported by other scholars, I concluded that socioeconomic status (SES) is at the root of inequalities in political participation. While high-SES individuals acquire advantageous social networks that give them access to political information, low-SES individuals are often excluded from political processes altogether. This dissertation demonstrated that individual social networks—and not time, money, or civic skills—are the most critical resource for contemporary participation.
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| 18. |
- Natalini, Davide, et al.
(författare)
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Fuel riots: definition, evidence and policy implications for a new type of energy-related conflict
- 2020
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Ingår i: Energy Policy. - : Elsevier. - 0301-4215 .- 1873-6777. ; 147
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ‘Fuel riots’ are a distinct type of energy-related conflict. We provide the first fuel riots database and explore their social, economic and environmental drivers. The analysis demonstrates links between fuel riots and high international crude oil prices in countries characterised by weak state capacity, deficient governance, fuel scarcity and poor economic performance. We suggest a potential causal pathway for fuel riots: when international fuel prices spike, net fuel-importing countries bear higher costs. If these countries are politically unstable and their government inefficient, the likelihood of fuel riots is high. Wealthier countries can absorb price increases and maintain subsidies, as opposed to poorer societies where fuel riots are more likely. Our findings demonstrate the role of state capacity and socio-economic conditions in enabling conflict, and will inform policy by identifying fertile ground for fuel riots, i.e. societies likely to be affected by increases in fuel prices due to scarcity and climate action (such as carbon taxes). We propose that policies which better control international prices and action designed to reduce political instability in vulnerable countries are key to preventing fuel riots. Fuel subsidy reform must anticipate popular opposition and mitigate the impact upon vulnerable populations in order to reduce the likelihood of instability and minimise hardship.
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| 19. |
- Pardalis, Georgios, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Future Energy-Related House Renovations in Sweden : One-Stop-Shop as a Shortcut to the Decision-Making Journey
- 2021. - 1
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Ingår i: Emerging Research in Sustainable Energy and Buildings for a Low-Carbon Future. - Singapore : Springer. - 9789811587757 ; , s. 37-52
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on an online survey, this paper analyzes the attitude of detached house owners in Sweden toward future renovations and their perception over a one-stop-shop (OSS) service for deep renovation of these dwellings. With the aid of a house owners’ renovation decision-making journey for renovation, personal and contextual variables have been analyzed to identify those house owners having renovation plans in the near future, what they are going to renovate, and which needs to lead them to that decision. Furthermore, we examine if there is an interest in OSS concept and the factors affecting positively or negatively the choice for such a concept. Results suggest that deep renovation is not yet prioritized. The priority for house owners is to change specific components of their dwelling and follow a step-wise approach. Aesthetic renovations are high on the agenda, with some structural and energy-related renovations following them. House owners between 29 and 49 years of age are those mostly interested in more comprehensive renovations. The OSS concept appears to be interesting to a number of house owners capable to verify a business potential. House owners up to the age of 45 years, with dwellings built from 1960 and above and with environmental awareness, are the market segment that can act as early adopters of the OSS concept. When it comes to the decision-making journey for renovations, house owners’ future plans, and the factors affecting their choice for an OSS provider, we can claim that OSS can act as a guide for house owners from the early stages of their decision-making journey and provide them with a shortcut that will make this journey more secure, while triggering renovation decision of greater extent. In terms of financing, incentives related to energy performance are also suggested as means that could boost greater interest for more comprehensive renovations.
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| 20. |
- Squazzoni, Flaminio, et al.
(författare)
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Gender gap in journal submissions and peer review during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A study on 2329 Elsevier journals
- 2021
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 16:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an unusually high submission rate of scholarly articles. Given that most academics were forced to work from home, the competing demands for familial duties may have penalized the scientific productivity of women. To test this hypothesis, we looked at submitted manuscripts and peer review activities for all Elsevier journals between February and May 2018-2020, including data on over 5 million authors and referees. Results showed that during the first wave of the pandemic, women submitted proportionally fewer manuscripts than men. This deficit was especially pronounced among more junior cohorts of women academics. The rate of the peer-review invitation acceptance showed a less pronounced gender pattern with women taking on a greater service responsibility for journals, except for health & medicine, the field where the impact of COVID-19 research has been more prominent. Our findings suggest that the first wave of the pandemic has created potentially cumulative advantages for men.
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| 21. |
- Squazzoni, Flaminio, et al.
(författare)
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Peer review and gender bias : A study on 145 scholarly journals
- 2021
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Ingår i: Science Advances. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 2375-2548. ; 7:2, s. 1-12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Scholarly journals are often blamed for a gender gap in publication rates, but it is unclear whether peer reviewand editorial processes contribute to it. This article examines gender bias in peer review with data for 145 journalsin various fields of research, including about 1.7 million authors and 740,000 referees. We reconstructed threepossible sources of bias, i.e., the editorial selection of referees, referee recommendations, and editorial decisions,and examined all their possible relationships. Results showed that manuscripts written by women as solo authorsor coauthored by women were treated even more favorably by referees and editors. Although there were somedifferences between fields of research, our findings suggest that peer review and editorial processes do notpenalize manuscripts by women. However, increasing gender diversity in editorial teams and referee pools could helpjournals inform potential authors about their attention to these factors and so stimulate participation by women.
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| 22. |
- Tamburino, Lucia, et al.
(författare)
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An Analysis of Three Decades of Increasing Carbon Emissions : The Weight of the P Factor
- 2023
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI. - 2071-1050. ; 15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A dominant narrative in the climate change debate is that addressing population is not relevant for mitigation because population is only growing in the poorest countries, whose contribution to global carbon emissions is negligible, while the largest contribution comes from rich countries where the population no longer grows. We conducted an analysis of 30 years of emission data for all world countries showing that this narrative is misleading. Splitting the countries into four income groups according to the World Bank’s standard classification, we found that: (i) population is growing in all four groups; (ii) low-income countries’ contribution to emissions increase is indeed limited; (iii) the largest contribution to global carbon emissions comes from the upper-middle group; (iv) population growth is the main driver of emissions increase in all income groups except the upper-middle one; (v) the successful reduction in per capita emissions that occurred in high-income countries was nullified by the parallel increase in population in the same group. Our analysis suggests that climate change mitigation strategies should address population along with per capita consumption and technological innovation, in a comprehensive approach to the problem.
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| 23. |
- Tamburino, Lucia, et al.
(författare)
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Ecological efficiency : The ability to achieve human well-being while limiting environmental impact
- 2024
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Ingår i: Environmental and Sustainability Indicators. - : Elsevier. - 2665-9727. ; 21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To reach the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, humanity should improve its capacity to achieve well-being and development while reducing its environmental impact. This calls for increased efficiency in the process of transforming natural resources into well-being. We present here a novel indicator called Ecological Efficiency and developed to capture this important aspect of the human-environment relation. We found large differences in efficiency among world countries. We then analyzed the relation between our indicator and several country-level variables encompassing different human dimensions, such as economic, political, and demographic. Results highlighted that demography affects Ecological Efficiency more than other factors.
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| 24. |
- Yantseva, Victoria
(författare)
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Frames of threat and solidarity : Dynamics of media discourse on immigration in Sweden
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation aims to analyse media discourse about immigration in Sweden in the last decade. To meet this goal, it uses large-scale textual data collected from various media resources, such as mainstream newspapers, social media (Twitter and Facebook) and an online forum. On the one hand, the dissertation explores how the internal architecture of online media contributes to the formulation of public debate about immigration. On the other hand, this work focuses on an external event represented by the refugee crisis and on the ways in which it intervened with the overall discourse dynamics in the Swedish media. Ultimately, this research aims to understand how these internal and external factors affect the framing and construction of the immigration agenda in Sweden. The methodological framework of the dissertation includes a variety of computational text analysis methods, such as sentiment analysis, topic modelling, word embeddings and machine learning, which helps to gain insight into the content and sentiments of the documents published in the media resources. Text analytic methods are further complemented with social network analysis and the study of communication patterns among social media users.The main results of the analysis indicate that the refugee crisis played an ambivalent role in the overall dynamics of the immigration discourse. While the analysis results suggest several changes in the interpretative repertoires and sentiment of the media content during the crisis, it is still questionable if they can be characterised as unique or groundbreaking. As for online social media, this work concludes that they have an ambiguous role in the shaping of public debate on immigration. In particular, the discourse on immigration on social media can be characterised as more negative and prone to the influence of such external events as the refugee crisis. At the same time, even minor changes in the platform architecture can indeed influence the ways in which the immigration discourse is formulated on social media. On the other hand, some of the networked properties of social media, such as clustering or homophily, do not necessarily have a negative or polarising effect, contrary to the predictions of network theory.
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