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Thanks Analytical Sociology, the concept of mechanism occupies a central place in contemporary sociology. Its intuitive and spontaneous use, however, characterized a part of empirical social research in the past, especially that developed by Paul F. Lazarsfeld and Robert K. Merton at Columbia University in the 1940's and 1950's. In this article, our aim is to explore a possible connection between these two research traditions, using the methodological tool of computational simulation. Specifically, the article discusses two hypotheses formulated by Lazarsfeld and Merton: the hypothesis of gratification, resulting from the duration of social interaction, and the hypothesis of formation of new social ties after a friendship breakup. Therefore, we implement four scenarios, each representing a specific combination of hypotheses. The results allow us to clearly observe four different emerging social patterns that are generated from the micro level by the interaction between individual agents who follow the mechanisms inspired by the original formulation of the theory. Through these simulations, we can examine the unexpected effects - on a system of action - caused by the introduction of Lazarsfeld and Merton's hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the contemporary scenario of sociological thought an increasingly central role has been played by a theoretical movement called analytical sociology. This is a very important attempt which reconnects to the kind of sociology that Robert Merton and Paul Lazarsfeld tried to develop at Columbia University after World War II. In the Oxford Handbook of Analytical Sociology, recently edited by Peter Hedstrom and Peter Bearman, a middle range sociology is presented, following the Columbia tradition. But, strangely, the Handbook refers only to Merton as founding father of the Columbia tradition, and does not take into consideration Lazarsfeld's contribution. On the contrary, the role played by Lazarsfeld in the beginning of generative models for explaining social phenomena is highly relevant. His attention towards the inter-subjective dimension of decision testifies his interest for phenomena generating mechanisms, also exemplified by his way of working, which refers to an analytical distinction between the concept of mechanism and that of process; a methodological distinction between causality and mutual effect; a conceptual assumption of different kinds of rationality, i.e. the idea that actors act reasonably and intentionally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the nature of sociological knowledge with special reference to the Festschrift presented to French sociologist Raymond Boudon at a reception hosted by the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques in Paris, France on October 7, 2009. Festschrift is a book honoring a person and presented during his or her lifetime. This Festschrift provides 83 articles by sociologists, social scientists and philosophers who offer essays that explore the contributions of Boudon to the understanding of contemporary society. It is stated that the Festschrift dedicated to Boudon presents a conceptualization of relationship between sociological knowledge and scientific knowledge.

The article focuses on a research that analyzes factors which classify the Italian territory into electoral heads. It is reported that the persistence of the territorial differences, historic, cultural, economic, and civil, renders the reasons for such classification. Significance of the rapport between territory and electoral behavior in the history of the Italian republic is discussed. Factors that lead to territorial division during the elections and electoral behavior of voters in Italy are highlighted.

The article presents the author's views on linguistics used in elections and the role of television in influencing the voter. Role played by television in imposing candidates, political agendas and electoral outcomes is discussed. According to the author, the power of language does not derive from the language itself, but from the external conditions which confer it authority, which the language in itself symbolizes.

The article presents the author's views on issues concerning elections in Italy and their significance in research works. According to the author, electoral laws which have been followed in these years have favored more the construction of electoral alliances rather than programmatic alliances. He views that exploring empirically the constitution of political forces as groups signifies the making of processes and mechanisms that have made political structuring easy.

The article discusses factors that have considerable impact on the result of elections in a country. Impact of "undecided" electors, who do not participate in voting, on election results is highlighted. Significance of electoral campaigns, especially those conducted on television, is discussed. Sociological aspects of political elections are also highlighted. Results of a survey, based on an interview of several voters, that highlight the factors considered by voters in selecting candidates for the position of prime minister, are presented.