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Sociology of quantification

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is a field of interest for sociology of quantification, and the intensified use of mathematical models in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a debate on how society uses models. Rhodes and Lancaster speak of 'model as public troubles' and starting from models as boundary objects call for a
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A. Saltelli, G. Bammer, I. Bruno, E. Charters, M. Di Fiore, E. Didier, W. Nelson Espeland, J. Kay, S. Lo Piano, D. Mayo, R.J. Pielke, T. Portaluri, T.M. Porter, A. Puy, I. Rafols, J.R. Ravetz, E. Reinert, D. Sarewitz, P.B. Stark, A. Stirling, P. van der Sluijs, Jeroen P. Vineis, Five ways to ensure
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would naturally descend from a sociology of quantification, especially at an age where democracy, merit, participation, accountability and even "fairness" are assumed to be best discovered and appreciated via numbers. Andrea Mennicken and Wendy Espeland provide a review (2019) of the main concerns
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as repudiating the goal of governing by just laws, advocating in its stead the attainment of measurable objectives. For Supiot the normative use of economic quantification leaves no option for countries and economic actors than to ride roughshod over social legislation, and pledge allegiance to
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Salais, Robert. 2022. “‘La Donnée n’est Pas Un Donné’: Statistics, Quantification and Democratic Choice.” In The New Politics of Numbers: Utopia, Evidence and Democracy, Andrea Mennicken and Rober Salais, 379–415. : : Utopia, Evidence and Democracy. Palgrave
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better relation between models and society. Other authors propose five principles for making models serve society, on the premise that modelling is a social activity. Models as mediators between 'theories' and 'the world' are discussed in a multi-author book edited by
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about the "increasing expansion of quantification into all realms, including into people’s personal lives". These authors discuss the new patterns of visibility and obscurity created by quantitative technologies, how these influence relations of power, and how
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regimes of quantification favour 'economization', where "individuals, activities, and organizations are constituted or framed as economic actors and entities." Mennicken and Robert Salais have curated in 2022 a multi-author volume titled
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and Margaret Morrison that offer several examples from physics and economics. An earlier work by Morgan offers elements of history and sociology of modelling in economics and econometrics.
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quantification is a technology of control, but whether it is reformist or authoritarian depends on who harnessed it and for what purpose. The ‘governance by numbers’ is seen by jurist
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Mennicken, Andrea, and Wendy Nelson Espeland. 2019. “What’s New with Numbers? Sociological Approaches to the Study of Quantification.” Annual Review of Sociology 45 (1): 223–45.
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studies of governmentality, which first flourished in the English-speaking world, and studies of state statistics known as ‘economics of convention’, developed mostly at
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T. Rhodes and K. Lancaster, “Mathematical models as public troubles in COVID-19 infection control: following the numbers,” Heal. Sociol. Rev., pp. 1–18, May 2020.
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Sally Engle Merry, 2016, The Seductions of Quantification: Measuring Human Rights, Gender Violence, and Sex Trafficking, Chicago University press.
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Morgan, Mary S. 2012. The World in the Model: How Economists Work and Think. New edition. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.
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C. O’Neil, Weapons of math destruction : how big data increases inequality and threatens democracy. Random House Publishing Group, 2016.
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W. N. Espeland and M. Sauder, Engines of anxiety : academic rankings, reputation, and accountability. Russell Sage Foundation, 2016.
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in France. A theme treated by several authors is the relationship between quantification and democracy, with regimes of algorithmic
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French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development: “Project SSSQ - Society for the Social Studies of Quantification.
43:, on algorithms, and on various forms of metrics and indicators. Older works which can be classified under the same heading are 379:
E. Morozov, “Digital Socialism? The Calculation Debate in the Age of Big Data,” new left Rev., no. 116/117, pp. 33–68, 2019.
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I. Bruno, E. Didier, and J. Prévieux, Statactivisme. Comment lutter avec des nombres. Paris: Zones, La Découverte, 2014.
415: 402: 105: 95: 24: 190:“The Sociology of Quantification: Where Are We Now?,” Contemp. Sociol., vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 257–266, 2018 150: 56: 341:, Governance by Numbers: The Making of a Legal Model of Allegiance. Oxford University Press, 2007. 123: 189: 304:
Robert Salais, 2012. Quantification and the Economics of Convention. Hist. Soc. Res. 37, 55–63.
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Daston, L., 1995. Classical Probability in the Enlightenment. Princeton University Press.
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https://www.amazon.es/Resisting-AI-Anti-fascist-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/1529213495
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https://www.fayard.fr/sciences-humaines/la-gouvernance-par-les-nombres-9782213681092
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Robson, K., Sanders, C. (Eds.), 2009. Quantifying Theory: Pierre Bourdieu. Springer.
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and artificial intelligence posing a threat to democracy and to democratic agency.
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Cardiff University: “Data Justice Lab”, School of Journalism, Media and Culture.
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Trust in Numbers: The Pursuit of Objectivity in Science and Public Life
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J. Z. Muller, The tyranny of metrics. Princeton University Press, 2018.
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Supiot, Alain. 2015. La Gouvernance par les nombres. Paris: Fayard.
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Hacking, I., 1990. The taming of chance. Cambridge University Press
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that models serve society: a manifesto, Nature 582 (2020) 482–484.
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The Politics of Large Numbers: a history of statistical reasoning
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Resisting AI: An Anti-fascist Approach to Artificial Intelligence
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Models as Mediators: Perspectives on Natural and Social Science
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Models as Mediators: Perspectives on Natural and Social Science
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The New Politics of Numbers: Utopia, Evidence and Democracy
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The New Politics of Numbers: Utopia, Evidence and Democracy
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is an expanding field which includes the literature on the
318:“Funny Numbers,” Cult. Unbound, vol. 4, pp. 585–598, 2012 140: 490:. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge ; New York. 458:. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press. 454:Morgan, Mary S., and Margaret Morrison, eds. 1999. 390:https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-073117-041343 27:as a sociological phenomenon in its own right. 355:Fully Automated Luxury Capitalism: A Manifesto 168: 166: 401:Mennicken, Andrea, and Robert Salais. 2022. 8: 59:, and the classic works on probability by 486:Morgan, M.S., Morrison, M. (Eds.), 1999. 223: 221: 219: 35:According to a review published in 2018 251: 249: 200: 198: 162: 94:. According to Espeland and Stevens an 184: 182: 7: 243:. Princeton University Press, 1996. 108:, with contributions encompassing 51:, the works of French sociologists 172:W. N. Espeland and M. L. Stevens, 14: 188:E. Popp Berman and D. Hirschman, 521:Science and technology studies 1: 441:. Bristol University Press. 277:. Harvard University Press. 141:Algorithmic Justice League. 37:sociology of quantification 537: 516:Quantification (science) 357:. New York: Verso, 2019. 96:ethics of quantification 82:The French movement of ‘ 23:is the investigation of 273:Desrosières, A., 1998. 90:, spurring a debate on 437:McQuillan, Dan. 2022. 124:Mathematical modelling 405:. Palgrave Macmillan. 92:digital socialism 79:stronger powers. 72:Sally Engle Merry 57:Alain Desrosières 21:of quantification 528: 500: 497: 491: 484: 478: 474: 468: 465: 459: 452: 446: 435: 429: 425: 419: 412: 406: 399: 393: 386: 380: 377: 371: 364: 358: 348: 342: 336: 330: 327: 321: 311: 305: 302: 296: 293: 287: 284: 278: 271: 265: 262: 256: 253: 244: 234: 228: 225: 214: 211: 205: 202: 193: 186: 177: 170: 49:Trust in Numbers 536: 535: 531: 530: 529: 527: 526: 525: 506: 505: 504: 503: 498: 494: 485: 481: 475: 471: 466: 462: 453: 449: 436: 432: 426: 422: 413: 409: 400: 396: 387: 383: 378: 374: 365: 361: 349: 345: 337: 333: 328: 324: 314:Theodore Porter 312: 308: 303: 299: 294: 290: 285: 281: 272: 268: 263: 259: 254: 247: 237:Theodore Porter 235: 231: 226: 217: 212: 208: 203: 196: 187: 180: 171: 164: 159: 137: 118:governmentality 65:Lorraine Daston 53:Pierre Bourdieu 45:Theodore Porter 41:quantified self 33: 12: 11: 5: 534: 532: 524: 523: 518: 508: 507: 502: 501: 492: 479: 469: 460: 447: 430: 420: 407: 394: 381: 372: 359: 343: 331: 322: 306: 297: 288: 279: 266: 257: 245: 229: 215: 206: 194: 178: 161: 160: 158: 155: 154: 153: 148: 143: 136: 133: 129:Mary S. Morgan 32: 29: 25:quantification 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 533: 522: 519: 517: 514: 513: 511: 496: 493: 489: 483: 480: 473: 470: 464: 461: 457: 451: 448: 444: 440: 434: 431: 424: 421: 417: 411: 408: 404: 398: 395: 391: 385: 382: 376: 373: 369: 363: 360: 356: 352: 347: 344: 340: 335: 332: 326: 323: 319: 315: 310: 307: 301: 298: 292: 289: 283: 280: 276: 270: 267: 261: 258: 252: 250: 246: 242: 238: 233: 230: 224: 222: 220: 216: 210: 207: 201: 199: 195: 191: 185: 183: 179: 175: 169: 167: 163: 156: 152: 149: 147: 144: 142: 139: 138: 134: 132: 130: 125: 121: 119: 115: 111: 107: 102: 97: 93: 89: 88:Aaron Bastani 85: 84:statactivisme 80: 77: 73: 68: 66: 62: 58: 54: 50: 46: 42: 38: 30: 28: 26: 22: 19: 495: 482: 472: 463: 450: 433: 423: 410: 397: 384: 375: 366:J. Mostafa, 362: 354: 346: 339:Alain Supiot 334: 325: 309: 300: 291: 282: 269: 260: 232: 209: 122: 81: 76:Alain Supiot 69: 48: 36: 34: 20: 17: 15: 110:Foucauldian 61:Ian Hacking 510:Categories 428:Macmillan. 351:A. Bastani 157:References 101:neoliberal 18:sociology 31:Content 135:Links 114:INSEE 70:For 63:and 55:and 16:The 47:’s 512:: 353:, 316:, 248:^ 239:, 218:^ 197:^ 181:^ 165:^ 445:. 418:. 392:. 370:. 320:. 192:. 176:.

Index

quantification
quantified self
Theodore Porter
Pierre Bourdieu
Alain Desrosières
Ian Hacking
Lorraine Daston
Sally Engle Merry
Alain Supiot
statactivisme
Aaron Bastani
digital socialism
ethics of quantification
neoliberal
The New Politics of Numbers: Utopia, Evidence and Democracy
Foucauldian
INSEE
governmentality
Mathematical modelling
Mary S. Morgan
Algorithmic Justice League.
Cardiff University: “Data Justice Lab”, School of Journalism, Media and Culture.
French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development: “Project SSSQ - Society for the Social Studies of Quantification.


“A sociology of quantification,” Eur. J. Sociol., vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 401–436, 2008


“The Sociology of Quantification: Where Are We Now?,” Contemp. Sociol., vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 257–266, 2018

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