ny times article on venkatesh

[eh]

So what are people's thoughts on the article?

[anon]

Does anyone take him seriously as a scholar anyway? He went straight to writing the kind of fluffy pop books that super senior people usually write... granted, more successfully than most, but still.

[Anon]

The thing about the article I'd like to comment on is SK saying other people were "jealous" about his work. The issue, in this case, is not on ethnographic methods but on fraud and mis-allocation of funds. Criticism like this is not because of so-called jealousy and to suggest so is to not address the seriousness of the issue head on.

[yes]

i agree. I am very troubled by this issue and the potential negative implications for ethnographic researchers. On the one hand, funding for ethnographic research does need to be flexible; and being able to offer, for instance, payments to subjects without connecting these to people's real names may be important in some cases. On the other hand, it seems very likely that this was a case of someone who got used to having a great amount of resources at their disposal deciding they can spend them any damn way they wanted, ethical or not, because they felt entitled to some pretty extreme luxuries most of us could never consider having funds available for, and above dealing with such piddly matters as record-keeping and justifications. I hope this does not create a backlash, but its certainly not good for any of us that this is what sociology is getting in the news for.

[notaskfan]

Dec 3, 2012 4:42:50 GMT -5 @Anon said:

The thing about the article I'd like to comment on is SK saying other people were "jealous" about his work. The issue, in this case, is not on ethnographic methods but on fraud and mis-allocation of funds. Criticism like this is not because of so-called jealousy and to suggest so is to not address the seriousness of the issue head on.

Yeah, SK comes across as an untenured toady for Venkatesh.

[dontknow]

I dunno...I see this more as an elite school thing than an ethnography thing. Most people who have them twist their research funds at least some, and some departments seem to revel in wink-nods that this type of thing is okay. Some departments drive job candidates around in limousines. Is that really necessary?

The capacity for crazy spending also goes up when people run centers. For example, people host fancy parties -- "conferences" -- to honor the lifelong contributions of colleagues... basically an excuse to get sloshed somewhere nice. Center funds pay for that. There is also a well-respected sociologist who heads a center and throws a crazy posh private party at ASA every year.

It seems like vankatesh was not different in kind, but rather just sloppy with the record keeping and not doing enough research that qualified as sociological and could hence justify the expenses.

[hmm]

I know at least one prominent ethnographer who is very concerned about the ethics of Venkatesh's work... including the possibility of data falsification.

That's a very strong charge, but with ethical questions about spending, IMO it puts all ethical concerns on the table.

[anon]

IMO the real crime is that leather jacket he wears JK, I wish I had one like it...

[limos]

Limos for job candidates? For a soc position? Where does this happen?

I'm lucky if I even get a ride from the airport......

[limo]

There are schools that send limos to pick up job candidates at the airport-- and not necessarily the Harvards and Stanfords of the world. I had an interview at a decent research university (think a place like University of Virgina or Michigan State, but not those places exactly) that sent a limo. I gather they did it for all their interviewees.

[same here]

I had an interview at a state school (wealthy state, but still) and the school is about 45 min from the airport. They had a contract with a limo company who picked up and dropped off all official guests of the school.

[limo]

This is limo again, from above.

Just wanted to add that, although it was neat to ride in the limo, I found it less enjoyable than having someone from the department come to get me. The extra effort it takes to send someone to the airport to greet a candidate, in my opinion, says more about the university than their willingness to shell out some cash for a limo. So, as nice as the limo was, it doesn't make up for having someone there to shake your hand and greet you.

[understand]

I find this infinitely amusing. I mean come on we are sociologists not investment bankers. Do they really expect people to be impressed by riding in a limo (perhaps if there was a corsage involved.....)?

Security Check "Be Serious Now"

[fraud]

It was only time before his lies caught up with him.

Relevant:
andrewgelman.com/2012/12/241364-83-13000-228364-83/
bwog.com/2012/12/02/venkatesh-responds-to-the-nyt/

[fraud too]

Here's another response from the Gang Leader:
www.freakonomics.com/2012/12/03/sudhir-venkatesh-responds-to-the-freakonomics-community/

This line made me laugh out loud:
"It is troubling to me that old documents are being leaked now. My life and my work has been about transparency and I have absolutely nothing to hide."