Numbers Game: The Politics of Social Research

Numbers Game: The Politics of Social Research examines how social scientists produce and use quantitative data in policy contexts. Michele Lamont investigates the dynamics between researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders who compete to define and measure social problems. The book follows several case studies of social research projects and their implementation in policy decisions. Through interviews and analysis of institutional practices, Lamont reveals the complex negotiation between scientific methodology and political pressures. Lamont documents the processes of problem definition, measurement design, and data interpretation across multiple policy domains. The research spans education metrics, poverty measurements, and other social indicators that shape government programs. The work raises fundamental questions about objectivity in social science and the relationship between knowledge production and power structures. Numbers Game ultimately demonstrates how technical decisions about research methods become intertwined with value-laden political choices.

There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Michele Lamont's overall work: Readers value Lamont's detailed interview-based research methods and her ability to illustrate complex sociological concepts through real people's experiences. Academic reviewers particularly note her skill in revealing how different social classes develop distinct moral values and ways of understanding worth. What readers liked: - Clear writing style that makes academic concepts accessible - Rich interview quotes that bring theories to life - Balanced comparison between French and American cultural perspectives - Careful attention to how working-class people construct dignity What readers disliked: - Some find the academic language dense and theoretical sections challenging - Repetitive points in certain chapters - Limited geographic scope in some studies Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (Money, Morals & Manners) 3.9/5 (The Dignity of Working Men) Amazon: 4.3/5 average across books One academic reviewer noted: "Lamont excels at letting her interview subjects speak for themselves while drawing meaningful sociological insights." A common criticism from general readers: "Important ideas but could be more concise."

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📚 Michele Lamont, a distinguished professor at Harvard University, conducted extensive interviews with sociologists and natural scientists to understand how they evaluate "good research" 🔍 The book explores how funding decisions in social science research are influenced by personal networks and academic politics rather than purely objective criteria 📊 Numbers Game was one of the first major works to critically examine how quantitative methods gained dominance over qualitative research in American sociology 🌐 The research for this book included analysis of over 300 grant proposals submitted to major funding agencies, revealing patterns in what gets funded and why 🎓 The work challenges the notion of pure scientific objectivity by demonstrating how social and cultural factors shape what counts as legitimate academic knowledge