1. Locating Community Boundaries: an Integration of Theory and Empirical Techniques
- Author
-
Gene F. Summers and Lauren H. Seiler
- Subjects
Government ,Sociology and Political Science ,Conceptualization ,business.industry ,media_common.quotation_subject ,05 social sciences ,050401 social sciences methods ,Conditional probability ,Community resident ,Public relations ,Boundary (real estate) ,0506 political science ,0504 sociology ,Perception ,Respondent ,050602 political science & public administration ,Sociology ,Rural area ,business ,Social psychology ,Social Sciences (miscellaneous) ,media_common - Abstract
Utilizing the Kaufman (1959) and Sutton-Kolaja (1960a, 1960b) conceptualization of community, empirical techniques are developed to identify community boundaries. These techniques are unique because they allow simultaneous consideration of boundary and interaction aggregation problems. A sociological conceptualization of community is coordinated with layman respondent's perceptions so empirical data, faithful to both perspectives, may be gathered from community residents. Community boundaries are identified from conditional probability matrices applied to residents identified as business, education, and government leaders in ten rural areas of Illinois. Township boundaries regularly coincide with community boundaries. Techniques developed here appear widely applicable to identifying community and other boundaries.
- Published
- 1974