"Retired" in Catalunya
Besides my classes in ESADE and my supervision of several dissertations. I was very busy with international activities. As member of the Central Coordinating Team of the ESS (CCT) Irmtraud and I got every round more work to do. Therefore we asked other people help us with these tasks. Besides 2007 was the year that the second ESRA conference was held. This time in Prague which also required more work. Fortunately most of the work was done by Daniel en Steffi. While I was working in the Netherlands my activities were locally known. Now, with all these activities for the ESS and the ESRA I also became known internationally and got invitations for international activities as well. This pensioner was not in Catalunya to relax.
The European Social Survey
Three rounds of the ESS were completed and we started with the preparations of the fourth round. Irmtraud was coding, with the help of students the characteristics of the questions in the different languages. I was analyzing the collected data of the MTMM experiments that were done in these three rounds. We both had to analyze data of 14 MTMM experiments in 12 different countries/languages. We both reported about the quality of the work done in the different countries and about possible improvements.
It was for example detected that in the Nordic countries the quality of data was less good than in the other countries. That required an explanation. The reason turned out to be that in these countries the supplementary questionnaire was left in the household and was filled in by the respondents at a later moment. In order countries the supplementary questionaire was answered immediately after the main questionnaire.This difference in setting caused less careful responses and therefore lower correlations with the earlier collected data. Based on this information a new rule was made that the data collection of the supplementary questionnaire had to be done immediately after the main questionnaire..
The ESRA conference in Prague
The first ESRA conference, 2005, had been a big success. The second conference, 2007, would be held in Prague. The attraction of that town was that the local organization offered approximately the same facilities as in Barcelona with respect to conference rooms and a meeting place and that the costs of the conference was much lower than in the West European countries
The European Social Survey
Three rounds of the ESS were completed and we started with the preparations of the fourth round. Irmtraud was coding, with the help of students the characteristics of the questions in the different languages. I was analyzing the collected data of the MTMM experiments that were done in these three rounds. We both had to analyze data of 14 MTMM experiments in 12 different countries/languages. We both reported about the quality of the work done in the different countries and about possible improvements.
It was for example detected that in the Nordic countries the quality of data was less good than in the other countries. That required an explanation. The reason turned out to be that in these countries the supplementary questionnaire was left in the household and was filled in by the respondents at a later moment. In order countries the supplementary questionaire was answered immediately after the main questionnaire.This difference in setting caused less careful responses and therefore lower correlations with the earlier collected data. Based on this information a new rule was made that the data collection of the supplementary questionnaire had to be done immediately after the main questionnaire..
The ESRA conference in Prague
The first ESRA conference, 2005, had been a big success. The second conference, 2007, would be held in Prague. The attraction of that town was that the local organization offered approximately the same facilities as in Barcelona with respect to conference rooms and a meeting place and that the costs of the conference was much lower than in the West European countries
The consequence was that the number of participants increased to more than 500. The number of sessions to be organized to 58 and the number of papers to more than 200. Our secretary Steffi managed the administration of the participants and Daniel Oberski took care that we had a flexible time table which could be adjusted to the last moment.
Prague is a nice town, not only for conferences. The local organization had taken care to manage the conference very well. They even took us on a nice boat trip on the river at the end of the conference. |
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Our trip to Japan
I had received an invitation to present my ideas about life satisfaction research in Japan. Irmtraud and I did not needed much time to accept this invitation. While we were once for the ESS in London, Irmtraud looked for books about Japan and found a book of Gilles Milton “The Samurai William”. To her surprise, she detected that a man called "Saris was the captain of the first British ship arriving in Japan in 1600.
In my presentation in Japan, I started with this story saying that I was the second Saris coming to Japan but this time for another purpose. I did not tell them that the story tells that the captain liked erotic paintings, his cabin was full of such pictures. When he showed his room to Japanese ladies, they thought these pictures represented Maria and kneeled down to pray. That is at least what the story tells.
The academic process in Japan is very different. The professors did not ask questions but they required their assistants to do so.
Japan is also for other reasons very special. In the two week that we were there, first an earth quake happened in the region of Nagano where also nuclear plants were situated and later a hurricane interrupted all traffic around Tokio.
In Kyoto we were surprised by a traditional street festival. Later we saw in the museum paintings of the same festival. Below is a photo of the festival in 2007 and one of the same festival in the 17th century.
I had received an invitation to present my ideas about life satisfaction research in Japan. Irmtraud and I did not needed much time to accept this invitation. While we were once for the ESS in London, Irmtraud looked for books about Japan and found a book of Gilles Milton “The Samurai William”. To her surprise, she detected that a man called "Saris was the captain of the first British ship arriving in Japan in 1600.
In my presentation in Japan, I started with this story saying that I was the second Saris coming to Japan but this time for another purpose. I did not tell them that the story tells that the captain liked erotic paintings, his cabin was full of such pictures. When he showed his room to Japanese ladies, they thought these pictures represented Maria and kneeled down to pray. That is at least what the story tells.
The academic process in Japan is very different. The professors did not ask questions but they required their assistants to do so.
Japan is also for other reasons very special. In the two week that we were there, first an earth quake happened in the region of Nagano where also nuclear plants were situated and later a hurricane interrupted all traffic around Tokio.
In Kyoto we were surprised by a traditional street festival. Later we saw in the museum paintings of the same festival. Below is a photo of the festival in 2007 and one of the same festival in the 17th century.
Back in Spain we looked for more information about this festival with the help of our Japanese friend, the painter Mari Ito. It became clear that this procession originated during an epidemic in 869 when people were suffering from a plague attributed to the rampaging deity Gozu Tennō. This practice was repeated wherever an outbreak of plague occurred.
Over time the increasingly powerful and influential merchant class made the festival more elaborate and, by the Edo period (1603–1868), the parade was a show of their wealth. The painting is from that time.
Although Japan is a country with a lot of tradition, one can also see in the streets in Tokio young people in dresses one would not expect in this country.
Over time the increasingly powerful and influential merchant class made the festival more elaborate and, by the Edo period (1603–1868), the parade was a show of their wealth. The painting is from that time.
Although Japan is a country with a lot of tradition, one can also see in the streets in Tokio young people in dresses one would not expect in this country.
Our second QMSS course in Lugano
I also had been asked for a second course in Lugano. I don´t remember if this happened before or after visiting Japan but we went there with my crew of colleagues and their family to enjoy the nice environment of Lugano. I had to teach but this time I was supported by Robert Voogt, Daniel Oberski, William van der Veld, all from the Netherlands and Albert Satorra from Spain. Also here we made a trip with a boat on the lake and walked back to Lugano with a breack in a nice restaurant on the way. It was a nice event for all of us. |
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The plan for RECSM
Given the amount of people working with me again and the success we had in Spain and internationally Joan Manuel Batista and I together with Germa Counders for the University of Girona and Mariano Torcal of the UNiversitat Pompeu Fabra developed the idea to create the Research and Expertice Center for Survey Methodology (RECSM). We suggested cooperation of ESADE, Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the University of Girona. For biological research and other sciences similar institutes were created in Catalunya. We made a document and a budget for this proposal and went to the Catalan authorities and the Survey Research organizations for support.
This is a nice illustration of a pensioner who was still full of energy even to start new activities.
Given the amount of people working with me again and the success we had in Spain and internationally Joan Manuel Batista and I together with Germa Counders for the University of Girona and Mariano Torcal of the UNiversitat Pompeu Fabra developed the idea to create the Research and Expertice Center for Survey Methodology (RECSM). We suggested cooperation of ESADE, Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the University of Girona. For biological research and other sciences similar institutes were created in Catalunya. We made a document and a budget for this proposal and went to the Catalan authorities and the Survey Research organizations for support.
This is a nice illustration of a pensioner who was still full of energy even to start new activities.