The Blog at Quants Corner

Nhlanhla Ndebele This blog is based on part of my PhD research focusing on the measurement of  quality of work and employment  (QWE) of UK employees and modelling how this has changed over time. This might be of particular interest to students who want to pursue studies in advanced quantitative methods as well as researchers conducting research focusing on measuring unobservable or latent concepts. Standard analysis of the labour market tends to focus on quantity, but there is an increasing interest in the quality of jobs created. However, there is no consensus on the conceptualisation and operationalisation of QWE, demonstrating not only the novelty of research and policy development in this area, but also the considerable challenges in measuring this concept (Muñoz de Bustillo et al. 2011). Quality, in general, is a complex concept to measure as it is unobservable. To measure such a concept, observable variables thought to be indicators of different aspects of the conce...

Prof Julie Scott Jones A Data…. What? When we launched the Manchester Metropolitan University Q-Step centre in 2013, we knew that to deliver our ambitious plans for upskilling undergrads in quants meant tackling the perennial issue of ‘I don’t like numbers’ / ‘I’m not good with numbers’. It is widely acknowledged (see  https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/resources/tt_maths_sociology.pdf ) that how students feel about numbers can be a barrier to learning quants. This is a two-headed beast of tackling feelings about numbers whilst building confidence with quants work. We did many things to address both issues (see  https://iase-web.org/documents/SERJ/SERJ16(1)_Jones.pdf ) but one core element we wanted to embed was the use of peer-assisted-learning.   We had observed over the (pre-Q-Step) years that often the most able students in lab would offer informal peer support; this collective peer learning seemed to work. Our plan was to harness this into a formal ...

Sara Rodriguez Quants Corner was created for anyone interested in quantitative data. In large part we aim to showcase excellent resources, teaching methods, and research, both at City and beyond. An unrealised goal of ours has always been to feature the helpful / insightful / enjoyable books we have encountered while working, learning, and teaching on or with data. These include discipline-specific and theoretical texts, classic statistical guides, general social research textbooks, and the many books that employ strong quantitative analysis, whether written for an academic or general audience. Our Books section has examples of some of these and is organised by type. We encourage you to have a look and let us know what you think.   This month’s blog entry kick-starts our book review series with Dr Yvonne Tommis’ short (83 page), light-hearted,  The Little Book About Numbers for People Who Would Really Rather Not Have to Read About Numbers . The Little Book About Numbers provi...

Dr Francesca Romana Ammaturo and Dr Koen Slootmaeckers   In the first part of this series, we considered how maps (and associated data) can be used to create a new worldview. We discussed how and why maps operate as productive devices. We then reviewed the use of the Rainbow Map since its creation in 2008 to the present to highlight how its use by political elites can reinforce existing hierarchies and silence already marginalised voices. In this second part we will analyse the map in order to argue that there is a disconnect between the map and lived experiences, and that an uncritical reading of the map can lead to the projection of fictional queer utopias and dystopias.   Queer Utopias and Dystopias and the displacement of LGBTQI+ Lived experience Whereas arguments relating to the use of the Rainbow Map often remain within the conceptual arena, the almost simultaneous publication of the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map and the  EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) report on the...

Dr Francesca Romana Ammaturo and Dr Koen Slootmaeckers Every year, around the International Day Against Homo, Bi, and Transphobia, ILGA Europe, the biggest LGBTQI+ umbrella organisation in Europe working on LGBTQI+ rights, releases its  Rainbow Index and Rainbow Map  into the world. This moment generates a lot of media attention to the plight of LGBTQI+ rights in Europe and provides an important moment in the work of ILGA-Europe. Whilst we recognise the usefulness of this resource in advocacy work, we also see several issues with the mapping of LGBTQI+ rights in this way.  In this two-part long read, we explain how maps (and the mapping of data onto them) do not only depict a world, but also generate political narratives that do not always reflect reality. We will particularly demonstrate how the focus on LGBTQI+ rights from its legal perspective can lead to a misunderstanding and sometimes even misrepresentation of actual LGBTQI+ lived experiences. We present our argumen...

Aisha Shafi I had the pleasure of doing my internship at the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) as part of the Q-Step programme offered at City, University of London where I am currently an undergraduate studying Criminology (BSc).  Q-Step allows students studying social science degrees to develop their data analysis skills for employment. I was eager to participate in the programme because I knew it would give me more job opportunities when I graduate as I’d have analytical skills that many other graduates lack. As part of the programme I was expected to apply my knowledge and skill in quantitative methods in the workplace.  During my placement I worked closely with Tristram Hooley, who is the ISE’s Chief Research Officer. We worked together to analyse responses from the  Pulse Survey  and the  Student Development Survey .  In particular I worked with the tool  Tableau  to create interactive public data visualisations. You can see an example of...

Prof Jackie Carter This blog post follows on from Dr Eric Harrison’s, posted here on Oct 21 st . Like him I have been reflecting a lot about developing analytical and research skills as part of the undergraduate social science curriculum, in my case at the University of Manchester. My reflections have extended to thinking about what evidence employers want to see in those who graduate from social science degrees and apply for a career in applied social research, or career choices that require them to be competent in using and analysing quantitative data.  I have a book coming out in April next year, entitled ‘Work placements, Internships and Applied Social Research’ in which I devote two chapters to discussing skills. I deal both with analytical and research skills, and professional skills. In each chapter I present a framework on how you can ‘baseline’ (record where you are starting from) your skills, and then I provide worksheets to show you how you can develop and grow your skil...