Using Formal Analysis to Help Assess and Analyze Institutional Discourse on Climate Prepared for COM

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Using Formal Analysis to Help Assess and Analyze
Institutional Discourse on Climate(Prepared for
COMPON Conference, University of Minnesota,
1/27/07)John W. Mohr(mohr_at_soc.ucsb.edu)Departm
ent of SociologyUniversity of California, Santa
Barbara
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A. Analyzing Institutions

• Leslie King  What is the role of institutions in
  managing global climate change?
• What exactly is an institution?
• How do we model an institution?
• How can we compare institutions(across time and
  space)?

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• How can we assess intra-institutional dynamics
  (e.g. , the degree of institutionalization,
  susceptibility to change, probable change
  trajectory?)
• How can we assess inter-institutional dynamics?
  (e.g., Which other institutions are
  tightly/loosely coupled, what kinds of resonance
  is there between institutions, fit/non-fit?)

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• Traditional Definition of Institution
• In sociology An institution traditionally
  referred to a particular way of doing particular
  things,
• The institution of marriage  Cluster of
  practices, habits, social rules, norms,
  expectations for behavior. Stable over time,
  shared by a particular collectivity.

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• Some schools of sociology Relatively discrete
  set of institutions corresponding to specific
  functions (or inevitable and necessary social
  activities)
• The family, the economy, religion, governance,
  education, health care (etc.)

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• 3. Contemporary Approach
• Quite different New Institutional Project
  (last 30 yrs)
• No Functional Presumptions
• Cultural Cognitive (rather than normative)

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• Three key Ideas
• Institutional Logics
• Field Structuration
• Cultural Power

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• 3. Logics Friedland and Alford (1991)
• Modern societies consist of a series of
  interlocking institutional orders, each of which
  is organized around a specific institutional
  logic.

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• Includes a set of material practices and symbolic
  constructions which constitute its organizing
  principles
• Practices Symbolic Systems are mutually
  constitutive dually ordered (cant have one w/o
  other)

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• Market Institutions  Practices such as
  buying/selling commodities but also symbolic
  ideas such as idea of private property.
• Religious Institutions  Ritual Practices such
  as praying, but also symbolic ideas such as the
  concept of God.

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• Field Structuration (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983)
• (In modern societies) institutional sites tend to
  be constituted by and through organizational
  fields

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• organizational field those organizations that,
  in the aggregate constitute a recognized area of
  institutional life key suppliers, resource and
  product consumers, regulatory agencies and other
  organizations that produce similar services or
  products.

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• Structuration Tightening of linkages between
  organizations/actors such that increased
  isomorphism occurs.
• Mimetic (Uncertainty Copy the leader)
• Coercive (Dependency Effects)
• Normative (Shared Professional Culture)

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• Cultural Power (Bourdieu)
• Within a Given Field, power is organized around
  the hegemony of (field specific) cultural capital
• Dominant Groups Possess Greater (field specific)
  cultural capital
• Dominant Groups Control Production and allocation
  of (field specific) cultural capital

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A. Analyzing Institutions

• Field of Art - Field specific cultural capital is
  the definition of what counts as good art
• Field of Academic Science - Field Specific
  cultural capital, what counts as elite academic
  knowledge
• Field of Law - Field Specific cultural capital
  what counts as valid legal interpretation

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B. Institutions Climate Change

• 4. An analysis of institutions that matter for
  Climate Change involves asking
• What is their scope?
• What is their level?
• What are the institutional practices?
• What are the symbolic systems?
• What dualities link them together?

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B. Institutions Climate Change

• What counts as field specific cultural capital
  and how is it produced, distributed and deployed?
  
• To what extent are institutional fields linked
  to/interpenetrated by (vertically or
  horizontally) adjacent institutions?

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B. Institutions Climate Change

• Kathryn Harrison Political Institutions
• Level Nation State
• Practices type of electoral system, party
  structures, conduits for access, character of
  interest groups, forms of influence, role of
  professionals, etc.
• Symbolic Theories of sovereignty, ideas about
  jurisdiction, conceptions of polity, theory of
  states role, forms of rationality, foundations
  of legitimacy, etc.

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B. Institutions Climate Change

• Evan Schofer Environmental Regime
• Level Global
• Practices bureaucratic and administrative
  structures capacities, tight coupling to other
  nation states and international agencies,
  professionals and experts
• Symbolic Preferences for formal rationality,
  scientific justifications, universalistic
  criteria.

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B. Institutions Climate Change

• Rado Dimitrov Science/Policy Regime
• Level Policy Domain (National)
• Practices Linkages between scientists and
  policy makers, types of knowledge collected and
  disseminated
• Symbolic Rationalization logics for action,
  expectations about what kinds of knowledge
  matters, tolerance for uncertainty.

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C. Measurement Strategies for Institutional
Analysis

• Semiotic Interpretation is a kind of Network
  Analysis.
• Structural Duality Relations are essential and
  ubiquitous.
• Institutional Structure is built up through
  combinations of networked duality relations.

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I 681 New York Juvenile Asylum L 176th Street
and 10th Avenue D 1851 J 23 WP truant
children of both sexes residents of city
committed by Magistrate 7 ltAGElt 14 WP truant
children of both sexes residents of the city
surrendered by parents or guardians 7 ltAGElt
14 WP disobedient children of both sexes
residents of the city committed by Magistrate
7 ltAGElt 14 WP disobedient Children of
both sexes residents of the city surrendered
by parents or guardians 7 ltAGElt 14 J
53 WP friendless children WP surrendered
children
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1. A Structural Approach to Interpretation

• Meaning Systems of Difference (Saussure)
• Relational Analysis Focuses on pattern of
  relations linking Classifications into a System
• Network Analysis (Relations of the Relations)
• Which Relation Matters? Look to Use in
  Institutional Setting.

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2. Structural Dualities

• Second Main Argument Meanings are Anchored in
  Institutional Practice (and vice versa)(Against
  post-modernist method)
• Practices Meanings are mutually constitutive.
• (Generalizable Social World is made up of
  Structured Dualities)

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• John Mohr Vincent Duquenne, 1997. "The Duality
  of Culture and Practice Poverty Relief in New
  York City, 1888-1917." Theory and Society,
  (April/June) Vol. 26/2-3 305-356.

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• ExampleWhat is the Meaning of the term
  Indigent?
• Destitution? Distress? Deservingness or
  Worthyness?Being described as Fallen,
  Homeless, Misfortunate, Needy, or Poor?
• Look to Practical ImplicationsGiven Advice?
  Food? Money? Work? Investigated or put in the
  Poorhouse?
• And Vice Vera The meaning of the Poorhouse?
• 1888 208 references to these Categories in
  NYCCD We look for logical possibility
  (binary yes/no)

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D. Second Example - Post Affirmative Action at
the UC

• A. U-COP Directory (1995)
• 751 organizations
• Program Descriptions

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• Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP)Early
  Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) is a
  state-funded educational program for middle,
  junior, and senior high school students
  traditionally underrepresented in the University
  of California system. The program is designed to
  motivate and prepare students for successful
  University enrollment. Students accepted into the
  program receive many services free of charge.
  They are expected to make a serious commitment to
  their education and to the program. Program
  activities are scheduled on a year-round basis.
  EAOP is divided into two components Counseling
  and Academic Enrichment. The Counseling Component
  provides pre-college planning, academic advising,
  college admissions counseling, scholarship and
  financial aid information, career guidance, and
  monthly advising sessions at selected schools.
  The Academic Enrichment Component provides a
  ten-week Saturday College program at five local
  community colleges, a six-week summer Pre-college
  Academy on the Berkeley campus, as well as PSAT
  and SAT workshops.

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• Table 1.Text strings used to recognize
  identities
• ASIANS Asian and Pacific Americans, Asian
  Pacific Americans, Asian, Filipino, Indochinese,
  Korean, Philipino, Vietnamese
• BLACK African American, African, Africa, Black,
  Blacks
• CULTURE cultural backgrounds, culturally
  diverse, different cultural, multicultural
  populations, different cultures, cultural
  heritage, cultural context , bicultural
• DIVERSE diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds,
  ethnically and linguistically diverse, culturally
  diverse student populations, diverse cultural
  backgrounds, diverse, diversity, multicultural
  
• ESL transitioning to literary studies in
  English, primary language is not English,
  ethnically and linguistically diverse, English
  as a second language, primary language is
  Spanish, ESL
• ETHNIC ethnic and racial backgrounds,
  ethnically and linguistically diverse, mixed
  ethnic, multi ethnic, ethnic minorities, ethnic
  community, Armenian

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• Table 1.Text strings used to recognize
  identities
• IMMIGRANT recently arrived, newly arrived,
  recently immigrated, recent immigrants,
  immigrant, immigrated
• LATINO Mexican American, Latin American,
  Central America, Hispanic, Chicanas, Chicanos,
  Latinos, Latinas
• LOINCOME in the local housing projects, low
  socioeconomic status, low income, low
  socioeconomic, lower socioeconomic, low income,
  lower income, working poor, farm worker,
  economically disadvantaged, urban poverty, poor,
  needy
• MINORITY language minority, ethnic minority,
  underrepresented minority, minority, minorities
• UNDERREPRESENTED underserved populations,
  traditionally underrepresented, historically
  underrepresented, underrepresented backgrounds,
  underrepresented groups...
• URBAN improving urban schools, inner city,
  barrio welfare, urban center, urban poverty,
  urban, gang

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• Table 2.Text strings used to recognize practices
• a MENTORS big brothers and big sisters, role
  model, buddy, mentors, mentoring, mentorship
• b TUTORS academic tutoring, tutorial support,
  tutoring, tutorial, tutorials, tutor
• c MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITIES motivational
  lectures, motivational workshops, motivational
  support, motivate
• d. APPRENTICESHIPS engage them in research
  projects, assistants on faculty research
  projects, collaborate in a research, research
  projects with professors
• e. SUMMER PROGRAMS camps during the summer,
  biology summer course, summer day camp, summer
  enrichment program, summer science camp, summer
  residency program
• f. COLLEGE COURSES earn university credit,
  receive college credit, sample college life,
  courses for credit, undergraduate courses,
  college setting, university credit

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• g. TOURS field trip, field excursions,
  laboratory tours, van tours, tours, tour, visit,
  visits, visiting
• h. ACADEMIC COUNSELING academic career and
  personal counseling, academic and career
  advising, academic counseling, academic advising,
  counselor visits, advising
• i. PRESENTATIONS visit classrooms to talk with
  students, give presentations, guest lecture,
  guest lectures, guest speaker, guest speakers,
  question and answer, presentation
• j. HANDS ON ACTIVITIES make their own
  instruments, recreational and cultural
  activities, view and hold, hands on, rock
  climbing, ropes courses, tree plantings, kayaking
  
• k. STRATEGY AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT enhance
  learning skills, improve the writing, homework
  counseling, homework center, problem solving,
  study skills, study habits, critical thinking,
  presentation skills, note-taking skills, time
  management, reasoning skills, electronic field
  trips

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• l TESTPREP test taking skills, test taking
  techniques, ACT workshops, SAT preparation
  workshops
• m CONTESTS AND AWARDS annual poster contest ,
  science fair, undergraduate fellowships, award,
  competition, contest, contests, scholarship
• n FAMILY WORK parent support group, student
  parent conferences, parent education programs,
  families are encouraged, family members, parent
  conferences
• o CULTURAL CAPITAL provides cultural and
  academic education, recreation and cultural
  activities, visits to the gallery, cultural
  subjects, cultural events, artistic cultural,
  cultural enrichment, gallery lessons, concert
  hall, major concerts
• p CULTURAL SENSITIVITY cross cultural language
  and academic development, racial and cultural
  tensions, cultural and academic education,
  culturally compatible practices, cultural
  influences, cultural awareness, cultural
  sensitivity
• q SPORTS athletic recreational program, sport
  skills, physical education, basketball, camping,
  gymnastics, soccer

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• Table 3. Co-occurrence of Identity
  Strings and Organizational Practice Discourse
  (Frequency)

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• Table 4. Co-occurrence of Identity
  Strings and Organizational Practice Discourse
  (Binary)

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FIGURE 1 The Preorder of Practices
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FIGURE 2. The Preorder
of Identities
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FIGURE 3a The dual ordering of Identities x
Practices (Galois lattice) with the canonical
basis of implications summarising all inferences
on conjunctions of practices.
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FIGURE 4a The Galois
lattice is decomposed in three linearly ordered
intervals, which are "regular" regarding the
sharing of Practices and Identities.
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FIGURE 4b Upper
Interval General Technologies Specific
Identities
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FIGURE 4e The central
interval is defined by 2 important
splits SUMPROG/AsianImm APPRENTC/Culture
Critical Structural Pivot
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FIGURE 4f Bottom
interval Transformational technologies
abstract Identity categories
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Upper General Tech Specific IDs
Central Structural Pivot Bottom
TransformativeTechAbstract IDs

FIGURE 4i
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Upper General Tech Specific IDs
Central Structural Pivot Bottom
TransformativeTechAbstract IDs
Left Soc/Cult Tech Difference ID Right
Ed/Family Tech Disadvantage ID


FIGURE 4j
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Upper General Tech Specific IDs
Central Structural Pivot Bottom
TransformativeTechAbstract IDs
Left Soc/Cult Tech Difference ID Right
Ed/Family Tech Worthy ID Above Less
PaternalBelow More Paternal

FIGURE 4k
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Upper General Tech Specific IDs
Central Structural Pivot Bottom
TransformativeTechAbstract IDs
Left Soc/Cult Tech Difference ID Right
Ed/Family Tech Worthy ID Above Less
PaternalBelow More Paternal BlackGT SCT
Difft Less PaternalLatinoTT EFT
Worthy More Paternal

FIGURE 4l
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E. Structural Dualities Combine into
Institutional Structures

• 1. Generalization of the Method
• Focus on Status Identities,
  Technologies/Practices and also Problems. Three
  interconnected dualities.Together they combine
  to build character and texture of an
  institutional field.
• Test Use TSP as framework for analyzing how
  formal organizations are arrayed within an
  organizational field.

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• Also Provides frame for including Agents,
  Conflicts, Discourse together
• Study organizations as containers of particular
  discursive claims
• Re-thinking org. ecology as a study of
  jurisdictional disputes over the naming, claiming
  of social reality

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F.Structural Dualities Combine into Institutional
Structures

• John W. Mohr and Francesca Guerra-Pearson. The
  Duality of Niche and Form The Differentiation
  of Institutional Space in New York City,
  1888-1917. Forthcoming in How Institutions
  Change, Walter Powell and Dan Jones (eds).
  Chicago University of Chicago Press.

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• Example Outdoor Relief Orgs during Progressive
  Era
• Radical Shift from Traditional FieldMany
  alternative Paths Proposed
• Define Orgs according to claims aboutKinds of
  People, Kinds of Problems,Kinds of SolutionsTSP

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• Text Strings to Trigger Social Status (S)
  Variables
• S1 Able-BodiedAble to (split, stow, saw, speak,
  read and write) work Able-bodied ...
• S2 AgedAged Decrepit Elderly Failing
  mental powers Feeble Infirm Invalid Old
• S3 BoysBoy Lad.
• S4 ChildrenAdolescents Babes Babies
  Brought before the Childrens Court Child...
• S5 EthnicAlastians Arabic Arabic-Speaking
  Arabs Armenians Austrians Belgians
• S6 GirlsGirls.
• S7 MemberCommunicants Connected with the
  Parish Dependent on (next of kin of).
• S8 MenGentlemen Males Men.
• S9 MotherAbout to (be confined) become mothers
  After the birth of their babies Mothers
• S10 RaceAfricans Afro-American Caucasians
  Coloreds Indians Negroes...
• S11 ReligionBaptists Catholics Christians
  Co-Religionists Creed Episcopalians...
• S12 NeighborHdBelow Grand Street Community
  District From the (East Side)...
• S13 SailorAt naval stations Boatmen
  Mariners Officers of vessels Sailors
  Seafaring
• S14 TravelerStrangers Travelers.
• S15 WomenFemales Gentlewomen Women.
• S16 WorkingAccountants Actors Are at work
  Are employed Are obliged to work...

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• Strings to Trigger Social Problem (P) Variables
• P1 AlcoholDrugAddicted Addictions Addicts
  Alcohol cases Alcohol habit Alcohol
• P2 CrimeAwaiting trial Brought (coming) before
  the womens (childrens) court Brought
• P3 DelinquencyDelinquency Delinquents
  Disobedients Disorderly Do not attend
  school..
• P4 DisabilityBlind Crippled Deaf-mutes
  Deaf Debilitated Defectives Deficient in
• P5 DependencyCannot earn a living Dependents
  No means of gaining a livelihood
• P6 FriendlessFriendless No relatives or
  friends able to support them Whose friends
  cannot...
• P7 HomelessEvicted Excluded from their homes
  Homeless Needing temporary shelter
• P8 ImmigrantsAliens Emigrants Foreign born
  Foreigners Immigrants New Comers
• P9 VulnerableDrifting towards a life of crime
  Entrusted for protection Exposed to the
• P10 ImmoralBad Courtesans Degraded
  Depraved Dishonorable Erred Erring
  Fallen
• P11 Parent ProbsAbused Cases of (ill
  treatment, cruelty against children) neglect...
• P12 PovertyApplicants for relief Beggars
  Deprived of the labor of the breadwinner
• P13 SicknessAccidents Acute Afflicted
  Ailments Anemic Beyond the need of
  constant...
• P14 UnemployedAble and willing to (labor) work
  Awaiting permanent employment...
• P15 WidowedDeserted Fatherless Widowed
  Widows.

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• Strings to Trigger Technology (T) Variables
• T1 Health CareCommunity (Dental, Homeopathic)
  Clinic Home Visit Health Care...
• T2 PublicHealthMilk Station (e.g., where mothers
  with infants can go to obtain pure milk)
• T3 ShelterTemporary Housing or Shelter Boarding
  (Lodging) House Convalescent
• T4 DaycareDay Nursery (usually a place where
  infants can be brought while their mothers
• T5 EducateMontessori Method School PreSchool
  (includes Kindergartens) Children's
• T6 VocationEdVocational School Industrial
  School Industrial Training (any job related
• T7 HomeEcDomestic Training (e.g., home economic
  skillsteaching women and girls how
• T8 CharaccterMilitary style training Moral
  training Moral instruction or "rescue work
• T9 CitizenshipAmericanization programs (includes
  English language classes etc.)...
• T10 GenReliefGeneral relief Provides food,
  coal (heating fuel), money (including money
• T11 SpecialReliefProvides amusements, flowers,
  clothing, ice, infant care equipment, toys
• T12 EmploymentProvides boarding (employment)
  positions in families, sewing to do
• T13 FinancialEduational loans Loans Pensions
  (retirement funds) Savings plans...
• T14 Visits HomeHome visit health care (e.g.,
  visiting nurse, etc.) Visits comforts the
  sick.
• T15 SocialWorkSocial Service Work Conducts
  social investigation (e.g., home visiting or
• T16 ReligiousReligious Education (Bible classes,
  etc.) Religious work Evangelicalism
• T17 SettlementSettlement House Mission House
  Neighborhood House.
• T18 RecreatonalRecreational classes (e.g., dance
  classes, basket-weaving classes)

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• The Midnight Mission (from 1888 Directory)
• "For the reclamation of fallen women rooms open
  at all times for conversation and advice after
  several months of probation, should a girl
  remain, a place is found for her in some country
  town."
• status (women) problem (fallen) 3
  technologies (temporary shelter, character
  reclamation and relocation to the country)
• (S15P10T3), (S15P10T8) and (S15P10T15).
• Also (S15P10), (S15T3), (S15T8), (S15T15),
  (P10T3), (P10T8), (P10T15), (S15), (P10),
  (T3), (T8), (T15).

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• 1888 Data includes 283 organizations
• Construct 283 x 283 Asymmetric Similarity Matrix
  
• Similarityi shared TSP elements (ij)
• total elementsi
• Subject to a 5-D MDS Analysis

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• McPhersons Niche Analysis Solution Again
• (Mean 1.25 S.D. on each Dimension)
• Defines Region of Institutional Space occupied by
  a given organizational form
• Niche Overlaps can be interpreted as regions of
  jurisdictional conflict

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G. Summary of Main Analytic Points

• Semiotic Interpretation is a kind of Network
  Analysis.
• Structural Duality Relations are essential and
  ubiquitous.
• Institutional Structure is built up through
  combinations of networked duality relations.

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G. Applications to Climate Change

• Why add this into the project?
• Institutions are central to this phenomena
  because the problem spans across from organized
  interest groups, professional knowledge
  communities, government actors, to the public at
  large.
• Institutions are social constructions and
  discourse systems are anchored deeply into the
  logic of the institution.

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G. Applications to Climate Change

• But attitudes are problematic. We need to capture
  the level of deeply held institutionally anchored
  logical assumptions.
• Myanna Lahsen, If you dont have a kind of
  domestic way of thinking then you are like a
  parrot, mimicking the colonialist thinking of the
  developed countries.

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G. Applications to Climate Change

• Also, concept of frames came up repeatedly. And
  the central issue in framing studies is whether
  and in what way does the frame resonant?
• The question is -- Resonant with what?
• I would argue that what is at issue is the
  extent to which resonance occurs with respect to
  institutional logics.

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G. Applications to Climate Change

• Another potential, is to think about how we might
  be able to use measured structures of
  institutional logics as a way of helping us to
  understand the articulation of one institutional
  domain to another. Duality linkages within an
  institution, but there are also critical dually
  ordered structures link institutions together
  both vertically and horizontally.Science
  Government co-constitutive

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V.Conclusion

• Focus on Interpretation of Meaning (how social
  science differs from natural science)
• Use Relational Approach to Interpretation (where
  relevant relations defined by use)
• Privilege Study of Discourse (and Institutions)
  over Individuals (and vice-versa).
• Make Use of formal methods (how social science
  differs from humanities)

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