Division of labor, skill complementarity, and heterophily in socioeconomic networks

Constituents of complex systems interact with each other and self-organize to form complex networks. Empirical results show that the link formation process of many real networks follows either the global principle of popularity or the local principle of similarity or a tradeoff between the two. In particular, it has been shown that in social networks individuals exhibit significant homophily when choosing their collaborators. We demonstrate, however, that in populations in which there is a division of labor, skill complementarity is an important factor in the formation of socioeconomic networks and an individual's choice of collaborators is strongly affected by heterophily. We analyze 124 evolving virtual worlds of a popular "massively multiplayer online role-playing game" (MMORPG) in which people belong to three different professions and are allowed to work and interact with each other in a somewhat realistic manner. We find evidence of heterophily in the formation of collaboration networks, where people prefer to forge social ties with people who have professions different from their own. We then construct an economic model to quantify the heterophily by assuming that individuals in socioeconomic systems choose collaborators that are of maximum utility. The results of model calibration confirm the presence of heterophily. Both empirical analysis and model calibration show that the heterophilous feature is persistent along the evolution of virtual worlds. We also find that the degree of complementarity in virtual societies is positively correlated with their economic output. Our work sheds new light on the scientific research utility of virtual worlds for studying human behaviors in complex socioeconomic systems.Comment: 14 Latex pages + 3 figure

Social closure in markets, families, and networks: explaining the emergence of intergroup inequality as a result of exclusionary action across contexts

Cardona A. Social closure in markets, families, and networks: explaining the emergence of intergroup inequality as a result of exclusionary action across contexts. Bielefeld: Universität Bielefeld; 2015.This dissertation explores how social closure produces intergroup inequality in the context of markets, families, and personal networks. Understood as exclusionary action, closure encompasses all forms of preferential or discriminatory interactions and transactions among groups or categorically bounded individuals that accrue or secure benefits to one group or category by means of excluding others, both intentionally and unintentionally. The study investigates closure in different contexts using agent-based simulation (ABM) and exponential random graph models (ERGM). First, closure in labor markets is studied as practiced by professional groups in markets. Second, closure is further explored when carried out by parents who follow different strategies to allocate resources among siblings, thereby producing skill inequality both within and across generations. And third, exclusionary action is analyzed in processes of friendship formation that lead to the segregation of personal networks into clusters of individuals sharing either positive or negative attributes

Key Issues in Rural Development: A University Graduate Course

A graduate course on rural development issues is presented that focuses primarily on the processes involved in development both at a personal and abstract leve. A theoretical foundation for the course is outlined based on David Kolb\u27s theory of experiential learning. This model is transcribed into learning environments necessary to focus participant awareness of issues surrounding their own learning style. The role of the facilitator who demands attention to learning style as well as content in rural development is defined, utilizing Malcolm Knowles\u27 andragogical concepts. Finally the course curriculum is presented, followed by lesson plans and readings supplemental to the text books

THE SOCIAL FROM THE ECONOMIC: THE EMERGENCE OF SOLIDARITY WITHIN NETWORKS OF ECONOMIC EXCHANGE

In this dissertation, we attempted to contribute to the discussion about the link between the economic and the social. More specifically, we addressed the debate on the consequences of economically-oriented interaction on social relations. Sociological studies have mostly focused on understanding the opposite direction, i.e., the effect of social relations on economic outcomes. Conversely, our work was motivated by the idea that the consequences of the economic on the social is crucial for social sciences and society in general. First, we reviewed the literature on solidarity and exchange relations in sociology and the behavioural sciences. The chapter aimed to elaborate a theoretical framework and working hypotheses for the following chapters. We proposed a definition of solidarity at the behavioural level and various empirical contributions have been examined. Next, we conducted an empirical study on the link between professional collaboration and social support relations. In this work, certain hypotheses were tested on a group of independent professionals sharing a \u2019coworking\u2019 space. Here, we found that solidarity can emerge as a by-product of economic exchange among strangers if they are allowed to select each other for collaboration and develop trust relations. The following chapter presents an extensive literature review of the use of Agent-Based Models (ABM) for sociological research. Given the key role of this methodology in this dissertation, the chapter aims to provide a comprehensive account of the contributions to sociology given by applications of ABM computer simulations. Moreover, a classification of these contributions is proposed according to the various methodological approaches to ABM in social research. The aim of the chapter is to review ABM as a possible means to overcome some limitations of the study presented before. Then, the final study applies computer simulation to analyze cohesion and integration of a social support network from economic exchange. In this chapter, an ABM of the mechanisms observed in the previous empirical study is presented. The model is used to simulate the effect of competition and resource distribution on social support networks. The aim of this work is to explore the effects of different environmental conditions and overcome the context-specific properties of empirical data. We argue that competition over most attractive collaborators can undermine the emergence of a cohesive social support network. Yet, this detrimental effect can be avoided if we assume that poor-resource actors are more eager to ask others for support, therefore generating a cohesive and more integrated social support network. Finally, we drew some conclusions in the last chapter

Unmet goals of tracking: within-track heterogeneity of students' expectations for

Educational systems are often characterized by some form(s) of ability grouping, like tracking. Although substantial variation in the implementation of these practices exists, it is always the aim to improve teaching efficiency by creating homogeneous groups of students in terms of capabilities and performances as well as expected pathways. If students’ expected pathways (university, graduate school, or working) are in line with the goals of tracking, one might presume that these expectations are rather homogeneous within tracks and heterogeneous between tracks. In Flanders (the northern region of Belgium), the educational system consists of four tracks. Many students start out in the most prestigious, academic track. If they fail to gain the necessary credentials, they move to the less esteemed technical and vocational tracks. Therefore, the educational system has been called a 'cascade system'. We presume that this cascade system creates homogeneous expectations in the academic track, though heterogeneous expectations in the technical and vocational tracks. We use data from the International Study of City Youth (ISCY), gathered during the 2013-2014 school year from 2354 pupils of the tenth grade across 30 secondary schools in the city of Ghent, Flanders. Preliminary results suggest that the technical and vocational tracks show more heterogeneity in student’s expectations than the academic track. If tracking does not fulfill the desired goals in some tracks, tracking practices should be questioned as tracking occurs along social and ethnic lines, causing social inequality

Global travellers on the digital dirt road: international mobility, networks and ICT diffusion in Ghana

This thesis focuses on the intersection of human mobility and technology diffusion in Africa. With Ghana as a case study, it looks at how the diffusion of internet access and use are influenced by international mobility. The research is based in the literature on the diffusion of innovations, international knowledge transmission, migration and development, and Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D). It begins from the hypothesis that international mobility may contribute to lowering barriers to internet penetration in developing countries by facilitating flows of resources, including equipment, finance, skills and knowledge. The research is based on four different datasets: a survey of the internet cafes in the North of Ghana and in Accra; an online survey of users in northern internet cafes; a network study incorporating internet cafe owners and managers in higher-value-added areas of the IT sector, and in-depth interviews with policymakers and donor organisations involved in ICT4D interventions. The data was analysed using a combination of fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and network analytic techniques including visualisation, statistical analysis and qualitative analysis. The findings show that international mobility makes an important contribution to the base of adoption capacity for new technologies in poor and remote regions. It enables entrepreneurs and IT workers to address market gaps that restrict access to material and financial resources; by providing access to international circuits of knowledge and ideas which help individuals gain a foothold in the IT sector, and by facilitating local private-sector provision of the internet through internet cafes which serve the hardest-to-reach populations. The thesis concludes by suggesting potential entry points for ICT4D and migration policy in developing countries regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of ICT4D interventions, the role of the private sector in promoting internet usership, and the role of mobility in building adoption capacity in low-income areas

EUSN 2021 Book of Abstracts, Fifth European Conference on Social Networks

Book of abstract of the fifth European conference on Social Networks EUSN 202

UNDERSTANDING INFORMAL LEARNING IN VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITIES OF TEACHERS IN KAZAKHSTAN

Reinforced internationally in the context of educational improvement, teachers’ professional networks, as a source of social capital, have been conceptualised as an integral part of teacher professionalism, as well as an essential element of successful educational change, and in the context of what Van Dijck, Poell and De Waal (2018) call “the platform society”, the use of social media platforms within professional networks of teachers has become an agenda for both research and practice. Therefore, with the overarching aim of understanding how to promote informal learning of teachers in virtual professional communities in Kazakhstan, this study explored this phenomenon within the conceptual framework identified by a review of related concepts, in particular a triangle of learning factors, namely, the need for professional connectedness, knowledge sharing self-efficacy, and knowledge sharing and receiving. This parallel mixed-method study was carried out in 29 schools of Kazakhstan by collecting teachers’ self-reported practice with the help of a paper-based questionnaires (n=440) and face-to-face interviews (n=41). An emergent trend within the identified findings is that teachers in Kazakhstan use social media within professional communities in order to obtain knowledge, which is manifested in an overlapping mixture of news, information, opinion, experience and resources, suggesting that virtual professional communities are one of the spaces for informal learning since they provide the opportunity to gain public and/or personal knowledge related to the teaching profession. In line with the identified conceptual framework, the results of the study provide a partial explanation for teachers’ engagement in virtual professional communities in the context of informal learning. The study suggests that both the need for professional connectedness, as part of professional identity and commitment for learning, and knowledge sharing self-efficacy are positively associated with knowledge sharing and receiving. As well as identifying contextual types of virtual professional communities, the study identifies some of the contextual factors associated with the need for professional connectedness in the research context, such as professional isolation of teachers in rural schools, the need for mentoring support, and the context of educational change, and contextual sources of knowledge sharing self-efficacy, such as professional comparison and sense of professional connectedness. Finally, in contribution to the growing body of research, the present study also argues for the importance of face-to-to face collaboration within and beyond schools in order to promote professional knowledge exchange within virtual professional communities. The research has clear implications for research and practice in the fields of teacher professional learning, particularly in Kazakhstan, hence it is believed that present study can help future efforts to support informal learning in virtual professional communities