Center for Social Research

April 8 CSR Presentation: Data visualization with KCCS

Using data from the Kent County Congregations Study, CSR staff will showcase emerging tools and methods for visual data analysis.

Please join us:

Thursday April 8, 2010 3:30 p.m., Meeter Center Lecture Hall Calvin College

See the entire poster!

UPDATE: See the presentation (PowerPoint 2007)!

How big is government? Visualizing U.S. government expenses

Click to enlarge image

Given the pending $940 billion health care reform bill in the U.S. Congress, along with the $787 billion economic stimulus bill enacted in 2009, there is a lot of public controversy about the scope of public spending in the U.S. Just how unusual is the Obama administration's spending, and why? As shown in the static image above, it is clear that the Obama administration's 2009 spending dwarfs prior years and reaches for a 48-year maximum near 35% of non-government GDP before offsets. But this fact is not alone--it also represents the summation of trends long in the making. Whatever you think, the interactive visualization below may help to put the spending surge in its proper context. For example, before 2009 the record holder appears to have been the Reagan Administration in 1983, with nearly 30% of non-governmental GDP before offsets. Recessions take a toll on the economy that drives up the government's share.

At CSR, we are learning to use a powerful new tool called Tableau, a data visualization and analysis application that is evolving from origins in business intelligence. With the recent release of version 5.1, Tableau now includes Tableau Public, a free service that allows anyone to create and post interactive visualizations like the one below. Tableau is sponsoring a contest through March 26, and our interactive entry is below--please read on.

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Subdivided by Faith? Mulder and Smith publish historical review

Congratulations to Drs. Mark Mulder of Sociology and James K.A. Smith of Philosophy, whose recently published article, "Subdivided by Faith? An Historical Account of Evangelicals and the City" (PDF) in Christian Scholar's Review, considers the role of culture, and religion in particular, as factors that influence the discussions of anti-urban bias in American society.

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New CSR Student Research Assistants

We’re pleased to announce that two new members have joined our student research assistant team. These two began working here in January, and they have been diligently entering data, sending out surveys, and otherwise learning the ropes.

	Tony Ditta Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI Year at Calvin: 2nd Majors: Economics & Mathematics Minor: Computer Sciences Favorite research software: Access
	Kelsey McCallops Hometown: Hudson, Ohio Year at Calvin: 2nd Major: Psychology Favorite research software: Inquisite

Tony and Kelsey agree that it’s been a valuable two months, and that they’ve already learned a lot of new skills.

The CSR and FTAP

Recently, the city of Grand Rapids and the Center for Social Research have been working together to evaluate the effectiveness of the Fast Track Accountability Program.

FTAP is a diversion program for people charged with non-violent misdemeanors like shoplifting or vandalism; by admitting guilt, apologizing, paying some restitution to the victim, and working at least 20 hours of community service, those who have been charged can be diverted from the traditional criminal justice system and avoid having charges reflected on their permanent record.

This program centers on the idea of restorative justice: attempting to balance the needs of the offender, the victim, and the community. The current system treats crime as something committed against the state.  Restorative justice recognizes that crimes have victims, and believes that those victims should have a voice in proceedings. Instead of a court case ending with a “winner” and a “loser,” restorative justice engages both sides of a crime and works to find a mutually beneficial solution.

Restorative justice aims at assisting victims and healing community. Having more than 2.3 million people incarcerated in America does very little to restore losses to victims or bring communities together. Empowering victims to seek restitution instead of leaving the offenders with jail time leaves everyone better off, and the U.S. could cut back on the $68 billion that it spends on corrections every year.

In fact, America has the highest incarceration rate in the world, so the success of a program like this could have far-reaching effects. It could be that fewer people will have the specter of a conviction hanging over them as they go on with life and search for jobs, and fewer families will be left in need by an incarcerated parent. Add to that the possible benefits of growing trust in the criminal justice system and you’ll understand why many people are excited about FTAP.

On the other hand, there are significant risks and expenses associated with any such experiment, including the possibility that the program has unintended negative consequences on crime rates or for victims. The city wants to be sure that reforms are effective and efficient before committing to any long-term reform.

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