This informal group invites social scientists from around campus to workshop in-progress papers using quantitative methods (broadly defined), to discuss and debate methodological challenges, and to provide brief applied tutorials on particular statistical approaches, use of secondary data, and other topics. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty from all academic disciplines are invited to attend, and to volunteer to share their research projects and analytic puzzles. The hope is that authors learn from their peers, and forge future research partnerships. The workshop will be held monthly in the CISS Conference Room (5th floor, 704 Commonwealth Ave). In-person participation is strongly encouraged, although hybrid options will be available. If you have questions or would like to volunteer for a future session, please contact co-organizers Deborah Carr (carrds@bu.edu) or Neha Gondal (gondal@bu.edu). Sign up for mailing list here.

Upcoming presentations include:

Thursday March 23. 11:30 am – 12:30 pm.  Nicolette D. Manglos-Weber (Assistant Professor of Religion and Society, School of Theology). (Register for Zoom link here).

Class Conversions: How Religious Membership Affects Economic Opportunity in Sub-Saharan Africa

This project examines how religious identity is currently associated with several indicators of economic opportunity, using combined regional data on Anglophone and Christian-majority countries from the Afrobarometer, and panel survey data from Ghana and Malawi.  Results show a mostly consistent advantage for members of mission-founded Protestant groups—a consequence of their involvement in colonial education and governance—that seems to be weakening relative to independent Protestants (though not relative to Catholics, Muslims, or those of other faiths). These findings provide evidence of how religious voluntary memberships simultaneously reproduce and alter structures of inequality, especially in postcolonial settings.

Tuesday April 4, 2023. 3:30-5 pm. Joint Session with Boston-Area Health Scholars.

This session will feature researchers who are presenting their work at the mid-April annual meetings of the Population Association of America. If you are interested in presenting your work at this PAA practice session, please contact Deborah Carr (carrds@bu.edu). Audience members are encouraged to provide feedback to the presenters. We will meet via Zoom at this link.  Presentations will include:

  • Leah Abrams (assistant professor of community health, Tufts University). “Job Transitions and Mental health Outcomes among US Adults Aged 55 and Older during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
  • Robbee Wedow (assistant professor of sociology, Purdue University).  “Patterns of Item Nonresponse Behavior to Survey Questionnaires are Systematic and Have a Genetic Basis.” 
  • Deborah Carr (professor of sociology, Boston University), Leping Wang (graduate student, sociology, Boston University), and Pamela Smock (professor of sociology, University of Michigan.” Gender Differences in the Economic Consequences of Life-Long Singlehood among Older White U.S. Adults.”

Thursday April 20. 11:30 am – 12:30 pm. Group Discussion. (Register for Zoom link here). Interaction Terms: Why Do We Do Moderation Analyses, What Does It Show Us, and What Mistakes to Avoid?

At this session, participants will share their latest analyses that employ moderation analyses, and will share ideas about ways to refine their analyses so that the research plan aligns with the author’s conceptual model, and how to address common concerns like multiple comparisons problems. Sociology PhD student Kristen Tzoc will provide examples from her dissertation research on retirement planning, and the influences of health and occupational status.