Most of my research focuses on voluntary groups and the social networks that draw people into and out of them. But my research agenda is more ambitious than that. I think that the general ecological theory of affiliation that I have developed shows how any social entity that spreads through networks behaves. We’ve already applied the theory to occupations, musical tastes, religious congregations, voluntary organizations and other social groups. Now I am working on applying it to fuzzier cultural entities like attitudes, beliefs and social identities. I think that the theory will explain some important things about the behavior of virtually any social characteristic.
Areas of Interest
Organizations, Associations, Social Networks, Quantitative Methodology
Education
Ph.D.,
Sociology/Quantitative Methods,
Vanderbilt University,
1973
B.A.,
Education,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1968
Recent Publications
with
Lynn Smith-Lovin and Jeff Smith.
(in progress).
"Social Distance in America: Heterogeneity and Homophily in Sex, Age, Education and Religion".
R&R at ASR, resubmission January
.
(2010).
Networks and Niches in an Ecology of Affiliation, Book manuscript in preparation, describing results of Ten Towns Study and new data from the 2004 General Social Survey modules on volunary association and social networks..
.
with
Lynn Smith-Lovin and Matthew Brashears.
(2009).
Models and marginals: Using survey evidence to study social networks.
