People :: Sociology Department

J. Miller McPherson, Professor Emeritus

J. Miller McPherson

Short Description of Research Approach:

Professor Emeritus

Office Info
Office:	348B Soc/Psych
Phone:	919-660-5787
Email Address:
Fax:
Office hrs:

Areas of Interest:

Organizations,
Associations,
Social Networks,
Quantitative Methodology

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.

Selected Publications/Recent Research:

Recent Publications (More Publications)

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. ,2010.

2010 "Social Distance in America: Heterogeneity and Homophily in Sex, Age, Education and Religion" Lynn Smith-Lovin and Jeff Smith. R&R at ASR, resubmission January ,in progress.

2009 Models and marginals: Using survey evidence to study social networks Lynn Smith-Lovin and Matthew Brashears. American Sociological Review , Vol. 74, No. 3 , 670-81

2008 "the ties that bind are fraying." Lynn Smith-Lovin and Matthew Brashears. Contexts , Vol. 7, No. 3,2008. , 32-6

2008 "Social Isolation" Jeff Smith and Lynn Smith-lovin. Harry Reis and Susan Sprecher. ,2008.

(More Publications)

Course Descriptions:

Duke University. Spring & Fall 2012

Organizations and Global Competitiveness(SOC 142) Syllabus
Globalization and Development(Soc 730S-03) Syllabus

Sociology
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