Abstract: Variationist studies have shown the implication of tie properties in the emergence and preservation of linguistic norms. This contribution deepens the understanding of this mechanism at the dyadic level. It explores relational subjectivity and relativity among individuals of a community and their implications in the distribution of lexical variants. The aim is to understand how the reciprocity of a relation influences the share of lexical practices. To do so, we analyze the network of discussions of bachelor's degree students of the University of Geneva and their lexical practices. Using the modern methods used in social network analysis to study relational properties and by running multiple regression quadratic assignment procedure (MRQAP), reciprocal interactions are found to lead to a higher lexical share and similarity. PubDate: Fri, 10 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Satisfaction with any aspect of life is not easy to defined, and sometimes, it is still a topic of discussion. That is especially relevant for more excluded populations like older people. This research looked into how relevant the social support networks (SSNs) of older people are for their satisfaction with retirement, specifically in the Chilean context. It will identify some sufficient and necessary conditions for older people to be satisfied with retirement. This research focuses on 30 life histories of older people in Santiago, Chile. They were asked about their histories and SSNs. The analysis applied used a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) with conditions from the Social Network Analysis (SNA). The results identify sufficient and necessary conditions to achieve satisfaction with retirement. It is highlighted some of the dimensions of SSNs and their reciprocities as relevant conditions for satisfaction with retirement. PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: This brief article illustrates the features of ScriptNet, a software package that facilitates a visual analysis of the organisational aspects of criminal enterprise, together with a visual analysis of the network of people, organisations, places and resources that are in some way involved in the commissioning of these goal-oriented crimes. ScriptNet is an amalgamation of the terms ‘script’ and ‘network’ that in turn represent two analytical approaches to understanding criminal and social behaviours. Script refers to crime script analysis, an analytical technique that organises knowledge about the procedural aspects and procedural requirements of the crime commission process. Network derives from social network analysis, and specifically from the framework of multi-mode and multi-link networks, which maps individual and collective actors, together with resources they can access and places where they are located, and the various types of relationships that may link them. In this article we illustrate the functions and features of ScriptNet using data provided by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). We discuss the innovative aspects of ScriptNet and we identify its limits. In its current format, ScriptNet has been developed as proof of concept. The code is open source, and we welcome people to collaborate and implement new and improved functions. PubDate: Fri, 28 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Isolation and cohesion are two key network features, often used to predict outcomes like mental health and deviance. More cohesive settings tend to have better outcomes, while isolates tend to fare worse than their more integrated peers. A common assumption of past work is that the effect of cohesion is universal, so that all actors get the same benefits of being in a socially cohesive environment. Here, we suggest that the effect of cohesion is universal only for specific types of outcomes. For other outcomes, experiencing the benefits of cohesion depends on an individual’s position in the network, such as whether or not an individual has any social ties. Network processes thus operate at both the individual and contextual level, and we employ hierarchical linear models to analyze these jointly to arrive at a full picture of how networks matter. We explore these ideas using the case of adolescents in schools (using Add Health data), focusing on the effect of isolation and cohesion on two outcomes, school attachment and academic engagement. We find that cohesion has a uniform effect in the case of engagement but not attachment. Only non-isolates experience stronger feelings of attachment as cohesion increases, while all students, both isolates and non-isolates, are more strongly engaged in high cohesion settings. Overall, the results show the importance of taking a systematic, multi-level approach, with important implications for studies of health and deviance. PubDate: Fri, 28 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Political network data can often be challenging to collect and clean for analysis. This article demonstrates how the incidentally and backbone packages for R can be used together to construct networks among legislators in the US Congress. These networks can be customized to focus on a specific chamber (Senate or House of Representatives), session (2003 to present), legislation type (bills and resolutions), and policy area (32 topics). Four detailed examples with replicable code are presented to illustrate the types of networks and types of insights that can be obtained using these tools. PubDate: Fri, 14 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Hairball buster (HB) (also called node-neighbor centrality or NNC) is an approach to graph analytic triage that uses simple calculations and visualization to quickly understand and compare graphs. Rather than displaying highly interconnected graphs as ‘hairballs’ that are difficult to understand, HB provides a simple standard visual representation of a graph and its metrics, combining a monotonically decreasing curve of node metrics with indicators of each node’s neighbors’ metrics. The HB visual is canonical, in the sense that it provides a standard output for each node-link graph. It helps analysts quickly identify areas for further investigation, and also allows for easy comparison between graphs of different data sets. The calculations required for creating an HB display is order M plus N log N, where N is the number of nodes and M is the number of edges. This paper includes examples of the HB approach applied to four real-world data sets. It also compares HB to similar visual approaches such as degree histograms, adjacency matrices, blockmodeling, and force-based layout techniques. HB presents greater information density than other algorithms at lower or equal calculation cost, efficiently presenting information in a single display that is not available in any other single display. PubDate: Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: In order to understand scientists’ incentives to form collaborative relations, we have conducted a study looking into academically relevant resources, which scientists contribute into collaborations with others. The data we describe in this paper are an egocentric dataset assembled by coding originally qualitative material. It is 40 multiplex ego networks containing data on individual attributes (such as gender, scientific degree), collaboration ties (including alter–alter ties), and resource flows. Resources are coded using a developed inventory of 25 types of academically relevant resources egos and alters contribute into their collaborations. We share the data with the research community with the hopes of enriching knowledge and tools for studying sociological and behavioral aspects of science as a social process. PubDate: Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: This paper investigates whether the Maidan Revolution in Kyiv (late 2013–early 2014) and the ongoing armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine (early 2014) have been reflected in the collaboration networks of Ukrainian and Russian organizations in Sweden between 2013 and 2016.I use ERG models to account for the probabilities of ties between the organizations, depending on the network structure and individual attributes such as ethnic identification and the choice of a side to support in the conflict.Results suggest that it is support for a certain side in the conflict, and not ethnic self-identification, which drives the clustering of the networks during the most violent period. PubDate: Tue, 24 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Relational geography asserts that social networks provide geographic benefits, and geographies are transmitted through the sharing of local knowledge and experience. To articulate the spatial expanse and geographic benefits of an individual’s social network, researchers require better social-spatial geographic information system models illustrating how contacts are dispersed, and how many distinct places they inhabit.In this work, the authors conduct a case study to map social network ties in geographic space. The authors retrieve social network matrices for 20 volunteers (egos) via Facebook.com, amounting to over 8,500 friends (alters). Each ego listed the alter’s hometown city at two time periods: at relationship inception and at the time of the study. The authors measure specific tie locations, tie expanse, deviation from a gravity model prediction, and expansion of alter groups (family, clubs, neighbors, etc.) over time.The authors find that social networks geographically spread over time, on average, from 2,679 km (standard distance) to 3,258 km (standard distance), and that the average ego had alters in 21 unique locations when they met, and 38 locations at the time of the study. Regarding friend groups, the authors discover that high school friends and friends from non-residential gatherings (ex. conferences) dispersed the most (over 1,900 km), and cultural groups (churches, sports teams) and family dispersed the least (less than 800 km) over time. Our results lead to a discussion of how mapping and measuring the distribution of social connections can uncover changing dynamics of social interaction, and one’s ability to access and engage with places through social ties. PubDate: Thu, 14 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: At the business meeting of the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA) in June 2018, there was great enthusiasm for conducting and archiving interviews with luminaries in the field. Lin Freeman’s name was mentioned, and I was drafted to conduct the interview. This is an edited transcript of the interview that I conducted with Lin on July 27, 2018. Lin passed away three weeks later, on August 17, 2018. He was 91 years old. PubDate: Fri, 01 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: This research focused on the identification and tracking of subgroups of vessels of interest, owners, operators, ports, cargoes, and specific activities associated with artificial reef enhancement and construction in the South China Sea. Historical automated information system (AIS) tracks and current maritime databases were used to develop sociogram depictions of the gray (licit but only partially transparent) maritime network that connects these nodes (ships, events, organizations, ports, activities). Social network matrices were dynamically updated by open source databases to provide insights into real-time awareness and tracking for operational purposes.The maritime network data set was populated by, and dynamically updated through, the integration of unclassified data using algorithms developed as part of the research. Longitudinal topographic metrics – average degree, average clustering coefficient, and centralization – were used to analyze the multi-mode (e.g., ship to ship, ship to owners/operators, owner/operators to owner/operators, ships to locations) relationships within the gray maritime network. Additionally, the network of ports and reefs in the area of operations was mapped and insights were gained by leveraging directed centrality measures – hubs and authorities – connecting them. PubDate: Wed, 23 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The activity facilitates students’ understanding of network measures, including different types of node centrality, shortest paths, cliques, and communities, and their implications for information flow in groups or organizations. The goal of the game is for students (a minimum of 10 and maximum of 28 participants in a network; a larger class can be divided into two or more networks) to solve a company mystery by exchanging information clues with other students based on an imposed communication network configuration. The activity can be debriefed by discussing the game outcomes, analyzing the network structure (using a software to input data and calculate key network measures), and evaluating the practicality of the game. Examples of network configuration, data sets, and a script which uses the igraph package in R are included. PubDate: Wed, 23 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: This paper introduces the idea of studying the decision citation network of the US Supreme Court in a new fashion by focusing on this Court’s overturning of some of its prior decisions. Two departures from current practices were developed. One was to consider the phenomenon of overturning in a broader network context. The second was to treat the citations between overturning decisions and the overturned decisions as negative ties. This led to the creation of multiple signed citation networks. These networks were studied to get a better understanding of the operation of this Court. The results show that, frequently, when decisions are overturned, this is not done in a logically consistent fashion. A research agenda is proposed regarding a reexamination of stare decesis, thought to be a bedrock of the US legal system, and calling it into question as a genuine operating legal principle. PubDate: Fri, 26 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: This paper provides details about a historical dataset of Canadian corporations and business elites who served on corporate boards circa 1912. The source of this corporate interlock data is the Directory of Directors in Canada, 1912, a public domain volume listing Canadian public companies in Canada. Because these data are thought to be of interest not only to network researchers, but also to business historians and management scholars, an attempt has been made to make the data as easy to use as possible. Supplementary information has also been added to the network files provided. All of the individuals and companies in the dataset have been geolocated. The proper 1911 Census Division a company was located in has also been added so that the networks can be combined with other publicly available data from the period. Two sets of graph files are provided in CSV format with other formats provided on the author’s website. The first file contains corporations as the nodes with directors as edges. The second file has the individual directors as nodes and edges connecting them are corporate boards individuals both sat on. PubDate: Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT
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