The Austrian-born American sociologist Paul F. Lazarsfeld (1901-1976) was one of the most influential social scientists of his time. He founded four university-related institutes of applied social research and was a professor of sociology at Columbia University for three decades.

Lazarsfeld's major interests were the methodology of social research and the development of institutes for training and research in the social sciences. Because of the originality and diversity of his ideas, his energy and personal magnetism, his unique style of collaboration with students and colleagues, and the productivity of the research institutes he established, his influence upon sociology and social research--both in the United States and in Europe--was profound. His collaborators and students learned a great deal from him and contributed greatly to his fame. Most of his major writings were co-authored, and much of his workday consisted of listening to, talking to, and instructing his students, colleagues...