Alternative Paths of Analysing (De)Standardization of Life Courses. Testing, Developing and Simplifying Methods of Sequence Analysis

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Dirk Konietzka
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2014 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 264262170

The proposed project connects to a classic theme of sociological life course research inspired by differentiation and modernization theory, namely the issue of long-term changes in the structure of the modern life course. Changes in cohort-specific life course patterns are best understood as aggregated consequences of the decisions made by individual members of successive birth cohorts. These decisions relate to central life domains, especially the areas of living arrangements and family, education and employment as well as associated migration behavior. Methodologically, life course research is based on the analysis of longitudinal data which enable researchers to map the entry and sequence of life events (transitions) and episodes as well as to explain the dynamics of life events (e.g. the birth of the first child) in dependence of other events (e.g. at work or in personal relationships). In the past, empirical research mainly dealt with specific transitions, while questions about more complex life course patterns were neglected; this is especially true for the classic issue of long-term dynamics of standardization and de-standardization of the life course. Only in recent years, driven by innovative methods of sequence data analysis, the interest in more holistic approaches to life course research has been increasing again. However, the current debate about the pros and cons of various methods of analysis of cohort-specific life course patterns is flawed by a lack of theoretical and empirical contributions that link the concept of standardization and its various sub-dimensions with specific methods of sequence data analysis in a theoretically meaningful way. In addition, there is a lack of established procedures which enable us to examine causal influences on the degree of (de)standardization of life courses in a methodologically sound way. In the proposed project, both problem domains will be addressed systematically. For this purpose, we pursue four goals: First, we analyze the dimensional structure of the sociological construct '(de)standardization' by using methods of sequence data analysis. Here, the aim is to clarify which dimensions of (de)standardization discussed in the literature represent empirically independent aspects of de-standardization and which are related to each other and therefore do not need to be examined separately. Second, we aim to demonstrate that the standard methods of analyzing life course sequences, which are based on cluster analysis, can be simplified. Third, we address the hitherto neglected problem of analyzing causal influences on life course sequences using different kinds of regression models. Finally, we aim at implementing a statistical tool for the various methods developed and compared in our project, providing a simple application of the most important methodological innovations and fast availability of relevant background information.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants