Social Science for Public Good – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we focus on how the narrative imagination helps us make sense of the world. Additionally, we dig into the connection between story and imagination. Our guest scholar in this episode is Dr. Richard Kearney, Charles B. Seelig Chair of Philosophy at Boston College

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Richard Kearney holds the Charles B. Seelig Chair of Philosophy at Boston College and has served as a Visiting Professor at University College Dublin, the University of Paris (Sorbonne), the Australian Catholic University and the University of Nice.

He is the author of over 26 books on European philosophy and literature (including three novels and a volume of poetry) and has edited or co-edited 23 more. His most recent publications include Anatheism (2012), Reimagining the Sacred (2015), Carnal Hermeneutics (2015), Twinsome Minds: An Act of Double Remembrance (2018), Touch: Recovering Our Most Vital Sense (2021), Thinking Film: Philosophy at the Movies (ed. Richard Kearney and M.E. Littlejohn) (2023).

He was formerly a member of the Arts Council of Ireland, the Higher Education Authority of Ireland and chairman of the Irish School of Film at University College Dublin. He is also a member of the Royal Irish Academy.

As a public intellectual in Ireland, he was involved in drafting a number of proposals for a Northern Irish peace agreement (1983, 1993, 1995).

He has presented five series on culture and philosophy for Irish and British television and broadcast extensively on the European media.

He is currently international director of the Guestbook Project–Hosting the Stranger: Between Hostility and Hospitality.

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While his full catalog of articles and books is far too long to list here, the publications below provide a useful introduction to his scholarship addressing the topic of imagination:

Kearney, R. (2002). The wake of imagination. Routledge.

Kearney, R. (2002). On stories. Routledge.

Littlejohn, M. E. (Ed.). (2020). Imagination Now: A Richard Kearney Reader. Rowman & Littlefield.

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The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the ⁠Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance⁠ and ⁠VT Publishing⁠ intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change.

Music: purple-planet.com

In this episode, we look into how we can learn from intentionally guiding our imagination while also looking into how much of the imagination operates outside of our conscious control. We also continue to explore the limits of imagination and how it can be used for both good and ill. Our guest scholar in this episode is Dr. Tamar Gendler, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Yale University.

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Dr. Tamar Szabó Gendler is Yale’s Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science. She holds a BA summa cum laude with Distinction in Humanities and in Mathematics-&-Philosophy from Yale University (1987) and a PhD in Philosophy from Harvard University (1996). After teaching at Syracuse and Cornell Universities for nearly a decade, she returned to Yale in 2006 as Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Cognitive Science Program. In 2009-10, supported by the Mellon Foundation’s New Directions program, she spent a year as a full-time student at Yale doing coursework in psychology, neuroscience, and statistics. In 2010, she was appointed Chair of the Yale philosophy department, becoming the first woman chair in the department’s two-century history. In 2013, she was appointed Deputy Provost for Humanities and Initiatives, a position she held until she assumed her current role in 2014. As FAS Dean, Gendler has focused on building excellence and collaboration within and across traditional disciplinary boundaries throughout the divisions in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and across the university more broadly.

Gendler’s academic research brings together the techniques of traditional Anglo-American philosophy with empirical work from psychology and other social sciences; her interests include the relation between imagination and belief, the contrast between rational and non-rational persuasion, and the role of habits in shaping behavior and judgment. Many of these issues are explored in her Open Yale course, Philosophy and the Science of Human Nature. She also has interests in education policy and practice, and worked for several years after she graduated from Yale as an education policy analyst at the RAND Corporation.

Gendler is the author of Intuition, Imagination, and Philosophical Methodology (Oxford, 2013), Thought Experiments: On the Powers and Limits of Imaginary Cases (Routledge, 2000), and co-editor of The Elements of Philosophy (Oxford 2008), Perceptual Experience (Oxford, 2006), Conceivability and Possibility (Oxford 2002), and the Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Methodology (Oxford 2016).

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While her full catalog of articles and books is far too long to list here, the publications below provide a useful introduction to her scholarship addressing the topic of imagination:

Gendler, T. S. (2014). Thought experiment: On the powers and limits of imaginary cases. Routledge.

Gendler, T. S. (2000). The puzzle of imaginative resistance. The Journal of Philosophy, 97(2), 55-81.

Gendler, T. S., & Hawthorne, J. (Eds.). (2002). Conceivability and possibility. Clarendon Press.

Liao, S. Y., & Gendler, T. (2019). Imagination. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

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The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and VT Publishing intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change.

Music: purple-planet.com

In this episode, we start to add nuance to our understanding of power by investigating the three dimensions of power, as identified by Dr. Steven Lukes. Dr. Lukes, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at New York University, joins us for the conversation and walks us through his understanding of decision-making power, agenda-setting power, and ideological power. He encourages us to look more deeply into how pervasive and nuanced power can be.

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Dr. Steven Lukes is the author of numerous books and articles about political and social theory. Currently, he is a professor emeritus of sociology at New York University. He was formerly a fellow in politics and sociology at Balliol College, Oxford. He was then, in turn, a professor of political and social theory at the European University Institute, Florence, of  moral philosophy at the University of Siena and of sociology at the London School of Economics.

His interests include political sociology, focusing on the study of power; political theory and philosophy; Marxism and other socialist traditions; philosophy of the social sciences; the history of ideas, in particular the political thought of Condorcet; political humour and satire; and, most recently, the sociology of morals, his current preoccupation.

Lukes’s best-known, still controversial academic theory is his so-called ‘radical’ view of power. It can be simply stated. It claims there are three dimensions of power. The first is overt power, typically exhibited in the presence of conflict in decision-making situations, where power consists in winning, that is prevailing over another or others. The second is covert power, consisting in control over what gets decided, by ignoring or deflecting existing grievances. And the third is the power to shape desires and beliefs, thereby averting both conflict and grievances. It is the most hidden from view—the least accessible to observation by social actors and observers alike. It can be at work, despite apparent consensus between the powerful and the powerless.

He is a member of the editorial board of the European Journal of Sociology and a fellow of the British Academy.

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Dr. Lukes has written widely on power from a number of perspectives, but these publications provide a useful introduction to his scholarship addressing the topic:

Lukes, S. (2021). Power: A radical view. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Lukes, S. (Ed.). (1986). Power (Vol. 2). NYU Press.

Lukes, S. (2005). Power and the Battle for Hearts and Minds. Millennium, 33(3), 477-493.

Lukes, S. (2006). Individualism. ECPr Press.

The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and VT Publishing intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change.

Music: Purple-planet.com

In this episode, we start our exploration of power. We seek to introduce the concept and begin to frame how individuals interested in social change might start to think about power in their own work. To explore how power operates in our world, we look at how revolutionary movements of the past have both confronted and utilized power. Our guest scholar for this conversation is Dr. Michael Hardt, Professor of Literature at Duke University.

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Michael Hardt's writings explore the new forms of domination in the contemporary world as well as the social movements and other forces of liberation that resist them. In the Empire trilogy -- Empire (2000), Multitude (2004), and Commonwealth (2009) -- he and Antonio Negri investigate the political, legal, economic, and social aspects of globalization. They also study the political and economic alternatives that could lead to a more democratic world. Their pamphlet Declaration (2012) attempts to articulate the significance of the encampments and occupations that began in 2011, from Tahrir Square to Zuccotti Park, and to recognize the primary challenges faced by emerging democratic social movements today.

His new book, The Subversive Seventies, focuses on how the revolutionary movements of the 1970s confronted and sought to change power structures. While his work on power is extensive, the publications below provide a useful introduction to his scholarship addressing the topic:

Hardt, M. (2023). The subversive seventies. Oxford University Press. 

Hardt, M., & Negri, A. (2000). Empire. Harvard University Press.

The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and VT Publishing intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change.

Music: Purple-planet.com

We finish our exploration of trust theory in this episode with a conversation about what the future of trust research might look like and how we might think about applying these theorizations in our daily lives. Our guest scholar is Dr. Joe Hamm, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Environmental Science at Michigan State University.

Joe's program of research lies at the nexus of governance and the public, where he investigates what trust is, how best to appropriately measure it, and its connection to "outcomes" like cooperation and compliance. Joe works closely with a variety of governance organizations, including police agencies, court systems, natural resource authorities, public health departments, and a variety of other state and federal entities, with the overarching goal of contributing to a cross-boundary social science of trust.

Joe serves as Graduate Program Director for the MSU Environmental Science and Policy Program; Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Trust Research; and on the editorial boards of Psychology, Public Policy, and Law and Law and Human Behavior.

Professor Hamm's portfolio of work on trust is large and varied, but these publications provide a useful introduction to his scholarship addressing the topic:

Hamm, J. A., Trinkner, R., & Carr, J. D. (2017). Fair process, trust, and cooperation: Moving toward an integrated framework of police legitimacy. Criminal justice and behavior, 44(9), 1183-1212.

Hamm, J. A., Smidt, C., & Mayer, R. C. (2019). Understanding the psychological nature and mechanisms of political trust. PloS one, 14(5), e0215835.

PytlikZillig, L. M., Hamm, J. A., Shockley, E., Herian, M. N., Neal, T. M., Kimbrough, C. D., ... & Bornstein, B. H. (2016). The dimensionality of trust-relevant constructs in four institutional domains: Results from confirmatory factor analyses. Journal of Trust Research, 6(2), 111-150.
 

The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and VT Publishing intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change.

Music: Purple-planet.com

In this episode, we continue our exploration of trust theory with a conversation about how we should understand political trust and trustworthiness. We look at how we might understand trust in this specific context. Our guest scholar is Dr. Margaret Levi, Professor of Political Science, Stanford University

Dr. Levi is also Senior Fellow, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the former Sara Miller McCune Director and current Faculty Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS), Senior Fellow of the Woods Institute, and co-director of Ethics, Society and Technology at Stanford University. Additionally, she is Jere L. Bacharach Professor Emerita of International Studies in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington. She held the Chair in Politics, United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, 2009-13. At the University of Washington she was director of the CHAOS (Comparative Historical Analysis of Organizations and States) Center and formerly the Harry Bridges Chair and Director of the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies.

Levi is the author or coauthor of numerous articles and six books, including Of Rule and Revenue (University of California Press, 1988); Consent, Dissent, and Patriotism (Cambridge University Press, 1997); Analytic Narratives (Princeton University Press, 1998); Cooperation Without Trust? (Russell Sage, 2005), In the Interest of Others (Princeton, 2013), and A Moral Political Economy (Cambridge, 2021). She explores how organizations and governments provoke member willingness to act beyond material interest.

Professor Levi has written extensively on trust, but these publications provide a useful introduction to her scholarship addressing the topic:

Levi, M., & Stoker, L. (2000). Political trust and trustworthiness. Annual review of political science, 3(1), 475-507.

Levi, M. (2022). Trustworthy Government: The Obligations of Government & the Responsibilities of the Governed. Daedalus, 151(4), 215–233.
 

The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and VT Publishing intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change.

Music: Purple-planet.com

We continue our exploration of trust theory in this episode with a conversation about what constitutes a violation of trust and how trust might be repaired following such a violation. Our guest scholar is Dr. Edward Tomlinson, Professor of Management in the Chambers College of Business & Economics at West Virginia University.

Dr. Tomlinson's research is widespread but includes examinations of...

-Building and Repairing Trust in Professional Work Relationships
-Negotiation Strategies and Skills
-Compensation System Design and Administration
-Avoiding Deviant Workplace Behavior

His publications have appeared in several of the most prestigious management journals, including Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Journal of Management. He co-edited (with Ron Burke and Cary Cooper) a book entitled, Crime and corruption in organizations: Why it happens and what to do about it. He also has a forthcoming book entitled, Developing and managing a total compensation system.

Professor Tomlinson's portfolio of work on trust is large and varied, but these publications provide a useful introduction to his scholarship addressing the topic:

Tomlinson, E. C., & Mryer, R. C. (2009). The role of causal attribution dimensions in trust repair. Academy of management review, 34(1), 85-104.

Tomlinson, E. C., Dineen, B. R., & Lewicki, R. J. (2004). The road to reconciliation: Antecedents of victim willingness to reconcile following a broken promise. Journal of management, 30(2), 165-187.

Tomlinson, E. C., & Lewicki, R. J. (2006). Managing distrust in intractable conflicts. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 24(2), 219-228.Chicago
 

The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and VT Publishing intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change.

Music: Purple-planet.com

We continue our exploration of trust theory in this episode with a conversation about the different types of trust and how they might interact with one another to form a trust ecology. Our guest scholar is Dr. Marc Stern, Professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech

Dr. Stern's research focuses on human behavior within the contexts of environmental conflicts, natural resources planning and management, and environmental education and communication. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and reports, and has won multiple research and teaching awards. His most recent book, Social Science Theory for Environmental Sustainability: A Practical Guide, published by Oxford University Press, translates social science theory and knowledge for everyday use by people interested in working on environmental problems. He teaches undergraduate courses in Environmental Education and Interpretation and graduate courses in Social Science Research Methods and Sustainability.

Working with several colleagues, he has developed a typology of trust in the context of natural resource management and has suggested a trust ecology framework for how these types interact and buffer one another.

Professor Stern's portfolio of work on trust and collaborative governance is large and varied, but these publications provide a useful introduction to his scholarship addressing the topic:

Stern, M. J., & Coleman, K. J. (2015). The multidimensionality of trust: Applications in collaborative natural resource management. Society & Natural Resources, 28(2), 117-132.

Stern, M. J., & Baird, T. D. (2015). Trust ecology and the resilience of natural resource management institutions. Ecology and Society, 20(2).
 

The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and VT Publishing intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change.

Music: Purple-planet.com

We continue our exploration of trust theory in this episode with a conversation about how trust and trustworthiness are connected, but distinct. Our guest scholar is Dr. Roger Mayer, Professor of Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at North Carolina State University.

Dr. Mayer’s research is focused on trust, as well as employee decision-making, attitudes, and effectiveness. A leading scholar on trust in organizations, his research has been published in many premiere scholarly journals. It has been cited tens of thousands of times in the published literature across a wide variety of fields.

He authored a theory of trust often referred to as the ABI theory with David Schoorman and James Davis which was published in Academy of Management Review (AMR) to wide acclaim. His recent research with colleagues finds that this theory helps clarify our understanding of such crucial current societal issues as how much a person trusts the federal government, and how to build police-public trust.

Professor Mayer's work on trust is large, but these publications provide a useful introduction to his scholarship addressing the topic:

Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of management review, 20(3), 709-734.

Mayer, R. C., & Gavin, M. B. (2005). Trust in management and performance: Who minds the shop while the employees watch the boss?. Academy of management journal, 48(5), 874-888.
 

The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and VT Publishing intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change.

Music: purple-planet.com

We begin our exploration of trust theory in this episode with a conversation about how that construct might be defined and operationalized. Our guest scholar is Dr. Guido Möllering, the Director of the Reinhard Mohn Institute of Management at Witten/Herdecke University, Germany, where he holds the Reinhard Mohn Endowed Chair of Management. 

Professor Möllering earned his Ph.D. in Management Studies at the University of Cambridge, UK, and his habilitation (postdoctoral degree, venia legendi) in Business Administration at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. His principal research interests include inter-organizational relationships, organizational fields, and trust. He has published several books, including Trust: Reason, Routine, Reflexivity (2006), and articles in leading journals, including Organization Science and the Journal of International Business Studies. He now serves as a Senior Editor of Organization Studies and previously served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Trust Research. 

Professor Möllering's work on trust is large, but these publications provide a useful introduction to his scholarship addressing the topic:

Mollering, G. (2006). Trust: Reason, routine, reflexivity. Emerald Group Publishing.

Möllering, G. (2005). The trust/control duality: An integrative perspective on positive expectations of others. International Sociology, 20(3), 283-305.

The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and VT Publishing intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change.

Music: purple-planet.com