IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/crs/wpaper/2006-01.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Optimal Matching and Social Sciences

Author

Listed:
  • Laurent Lesnard

    (Crest)

Abstract

This working paper is a reflection on the conditions required to use optimalmatching (OM) in social sciences. Despite its striking success in biology, optimalmatching was not invented to solve biological questions but computer science ones:OM is a family of distance concepts originating in information and coding theorywere it is known under various names among which Hamming, and Levenshteindistance. As a consequence, the success of this method in biology has nothing to dowith the alleged similarity of the way it operates with biological processes but withchoices of parameters in accordance with the kind of materials and questionsbiologists are facing. As materials and questions differ in social sciences, it is notpossible to import OM directly from biology. The very basic fact that sequences ofsocial events are not made of biological matter but of events and time is crucial forthe adaptation of OM: insertion and deletion operations warp time and are to beavoided if information regarding the social regulation of the timing of event is to befully recovered. A formulation of substitution costs taking advantage of the socialstructuration of time is proposed for sequences sharing the same calendar: dynamicsubstitution costs can be derived from the series of transition matrices describingsocial sub-rhythms. An application to the question of the scheduling of work isproposed: using data from the 1985-86 and 1998-99 French time-use surveys,twelve types of workdays are uncovered. Their interpretability and quality,assessed visually through aggregate and individual tempograms, and box plots,seem satisfactory.

Suggested Citation

  • Laurent Lesnard, 2006. "Optimal Matching and Social Sciences," Working Papers 2006-01, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    • Handle: RePEc:crs:wpaper:2006-01
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://crest.science/RePEc/wpstorage/2006-01.pdf
    File Function: Crest working paper version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel S. Hamermesh, 2002. "Timing, togetherness and time windfalls," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 15(4), pages 601-623.
    2. Joel H. Levine, 2000. "But What Have You Done for Us Lately?," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 29(1), pages 34-40, August.
    3. Gershuny, Jonathan, 2000. "Changing Times: Work and Leisure in Postindustrial Society," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198287872.
    4. Wil Dijkstra & Toon Taris, 1995. "Measuring the Agreement between Sequences," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 24(2), pages 214-231, November.
    5. Andrew Abbott, 2000. "Reply to Levine and Wu," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 29(1), pages 65-76, August.
    6. Glenn Milligan, 1980. "An examination of the effect of six types of error perturbation on fifteen clustering algorithms," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 45(3), pages 325-342, September.
    7. Andrew Abbott, 1998. "The Causal Devolution," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 27(2), pages 148-181, November.
    8. Glenn Milligan, 1981. "A monte carlo study of thirty internal criterion measures for cluster analysis," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 46(2), pages 187-199, June.
    9. Laurent Lesnard, 2004. "Schedules as sequences: a new method to analyze the use of time based on collective rhythm with an application to the work arrangements of French dual-earner couples," electronic International Journal of Time Use Research, Research Institute on Professions (Forschungsinstitut Freie Berufe (FFB)) and The International Association for Time Use Research (IATUR), vol. 1(1), pages 60-84, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Paolo Lucchino & Dr Richard Dorsett, 2013. "Visualising the school-to-work transition: an analysis using optimal matching," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 414, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    2. Arnstein Aassve & Francesco C. Billari & Raffaella Piccarreta, 2007. "Strings of Adulthood: A Sequence Analysis of Young British Women’s Work-Family Trajectories," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 23(3), pages 369-388, October.
    3. Luca Maria Pesando & Nicola Barban & Maria Sironi & Frank F. Furstenberg, 2021. "A Sequence‐Analysis Approach to the Study of the Transition to Adulthood in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(3), pages 719-747, September.
    4. Bicaba, Zorobabel, 2011. "Growth and financial reforms trajectory: an optimal matching sequence analysis approach," MPRA Paper 34057, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Vicentini, Francesca & Boccardelli, Paolo, 2016. "Career diversity and project performance in the Italian television industry," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(7), pages 2380-2387.
    6. H. Corrales-Herrero & B. Rodr z-Prado, 2012. "Characterizing Spanish labour pathways of young people with vocational lower-secondary education," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(29), pages 3777-3792, October.
    7. Herrmann & Kim van der Putten, 2014. "Uraveling start-up processes with the help of sequence analyses," Innovation Studies Utrecht (ISU) working paper series 14-02, Utrecht University, Department of Innovation Studies, revised Jun 2014.
    8. Thomas King, 2013. "A framework for analysing social sequences," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 167-191, January.
    9. Paolo Lucchino & Dr Richard Dorsett, 2013. "Visualising the school-to-work transition: an analysis using optimal matching," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 414, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    10. Helena Corrales Herrero & Beatriz Rodríguez Prado, 2011. "Characterizing Spanish Labour Pathways of young people with vocational lower-secondary education," Post-Print hal-00712379, HAL.
    11. Barbara Zimmermann & Simon Seiler, 2019. "The Relationship between Educational Pathways and Occupational Outcomes at the Intersection of Gender and Social Origin," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 79-94.
    12. Nicola Barban, 2011. "Family trajectories and health: A life course perspective," Working Papers 039, "Carlo F. Dondena" Centre for Research on Social Dynamics (DONDENA), Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi.
    13. Pietro Lovaglio & Mario Mezzanzanica, 2013. "Classification of longitudinal career paths," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 989-1008, February.
    14. Laurent Lesnard & Thibaut Saint Pol, 2009. "Patterns of Workweek Schedules in France," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 93(1), pages 171-176, August.
    15. Helena Corrales Herrero & Beatriz Rodríguez Prado, 2011. "El empleo a tiempo parcial entre los jóvenes: Puente o trampa," Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación volume 6, in: Antonio Caparrós Ruiz (ed.), Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación 6, edition 1, volume 6, chapter 42, pages 677-692, Asociación de Economía de la Educación.
    16. Madero-Cabib, Ignacio & Fasang, Anette Eva, 2016. "Gendered work-family life courses and financial well-being in retirement," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 27, pages 43-60.
    17. Qianhan Lin, 2013. "Lost in Transformation? The Employment Trajectories of China’s Cultural Revolution Cohort," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 646(1), pages 172-193, March.
    18. Suzana Koelet & Helga de Valk & Ignace Glorieux & Ilse Laurijssen & Didier Willaert, 2015. "The timing of family commitments in the early work career," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(22), pages 657-690.
    19. Raffaella Piccarreta & Orna Lior, 2010. "Exploring sequences: a graphical tool based on multi‐dimensional scaling," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 173(1), pages 165-184, January.
    20. Thibault de Saint Pol, 2006. "Dinner in France : An Enduring Dietary Synchronism," Working Papers 2006-13, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    21. Okka Zimmermann & Nicole Hameister, 2019. "Stable cohabitational unions increase quality of life: Retrospective analysis of partnership histories also reveals gender differences," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 40(24), pages 657-692.
    22. Silke Aisenbrey & Anette E. Fasang, 2010. "New Life for Old Ideas: The "Second Wave" of Sequence Analysis Bringing the "Course" Back Into the Life Course," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 38(3), pages 420-462, February.
    23. Ignace Glorieux & Ilse Laurijssen & Joeri Minnen & Theun Tienoven, 2010. "In Search of the Harried Leisure Class in Contemporary Society: Time-Use Surveys and Patterns of Leisure Time Consumption," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 33(2), pages 163-181, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Laurent Lesnard, 2010. "Setting Cost in Optimal Matching to Uncover Contemporaneous Socio-Temporal Patterns," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 38(3), pages 389-419, February.
    2. Laurent Lesnard & Thibaut Saint Pol, 2009. "Patterns of Workweek Schedules in France," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 93(1), pages 171-176, August.
    3. Laurent Lesnard, 2005. "The Effects of the Family Work Day on Family Time," Working Papers 2005-25, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    4. Brzinsky-Fay, Christian, 2006. "Lost in transition: labour market entry sequences of school leavers in Europe," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Labor Market Policy and Employment SP I 2006-111, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    5. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/8642 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Michael Burda & Daniel Hamermesh & Philippe Weil, 2013. "Total work and gender: facts and possible explanations," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 26(1), pages 239-261, January.
    7. Merz, Joachim, 2009. "Time Use and Time Budgets – Improvements, Future Challenges and Recommendations," MPRA Paper 16304, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/8642 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Gimenez-Nadal, J. Ignacio & Molina, Jose Alberto, 2015. "Health status and the allocation of time: Cross-country evidence from Europe," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 188-203.
    10. Pintea, Mihaela I., 2010. "Leisure externalities: Implications for growth and welfare," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 1025-1040, December.
    11. Raffaella Piccarreta & Francesco C. Billari, 2007. "Clustering work and family trajectories by using a divisive algorithm," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 170(4), pages 1061-1078, October.
    12. Henner Gimpel & Daniel Rau & Maximilian Röglinger, 2018. "Understanding FinTech start-ups – a taxonomy of consumer-oriented service offerings," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 28(3), pages 245-264, August.
    13. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/8642 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Antony Paulraj, 2009. "Environmental motivations: a classification scheme and its impact on environmental strategies and practices," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 453-468, November.
    15. Michael C Burda & Daniel S Hamermesh & Philippe Weil, 2008. "Total Work, Gender and Social Norms in EU and US Time Use," Post-Print hal-00972821, HAL.
    16. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/8642 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Weinand, J.M. & McKenna, R. & Fichtner, W., 2019. "Developing a municipality typology for modelling decentralised energy systems," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 75-96.
    18. C. Barnet-Verzat & A. Pailhé & A. Solaz, 2011. "Spending time together: the impact of children on couples’ leisure synchronization," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 9(4), pages 465-486, December.
    19. Ertl, Antal & Horn, Dániel & Kiss, Hubert János, 2024. "Economic Preferences across Generations and Family Clusters: A Comment," I4R Discussion Paper Series 105, The Institute for Replication (I4R).
    20. Mary Luz Mouronte-López & Juana Savall Ceres, 2024. "Exploring socioeconomic similarity-inequality: a regional perspective," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, December.
    21. Victoria Ateca-Amestoy, 2011. "Leisure and Subjective Well-being," Chapters, in: Samuel Cameron (ed.), Handbook on the Economics of Leisure, chapter 4, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    22. Xie, Xian-Jin & Pendergast, Jane & Clarke, William, 2008. "Increasing the power: A practical approach to goodness-of-fit test for logistic regression models with continuous predictors," Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 2703-2713, January.
    23. Christian Hennig, 2022. "An empirical comparison and characterisation of nine popular clustering methods," Advances in Data Analysis and Classification, Springer;German Classification Society - Gesellschaft für Klassifikation (GfKl);Japanese Classification Society (JCS);Classification and Data Analysis Group of the Italian Statistical Society (CLADAG);International Federation of Classification Societies (IFCS), vol. 16(1), pages 201-229, March.
    24. Bauer, Hans H. & Fischer, Marc, 2000. "Product life cycle patterns for pharmaceuticals and their impact on R&D profitability of late mover products," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 9(6), pages 703-725, December.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:crs:wpaper:2006-01. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Secretariat General (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/crestfr.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.