Analyzing and Modeling Real-World Phenomena with Complex Networks: A Survey of Applications

The success of new scientific areas can be assessed by their potential for contributing to new theoretical approaches and in applications to real-world problems. Complex networks have fared extremely well in both of these aspects, with their sound theoretical basis developed over the years and with a variety of applications. In this survey, we analyze the applications of complex networks to real-world problems and data, with emphasis in representation, analysis and modeling, after an introduction to the main concepts and models. A diversity of phenomena are surveyed, which may be classified into no less than 22 areas, providing a clear indication of the impact of the field of complex networks.Comment: 103 pages, 3 figures and 7 tables. A working manuscript, suggestions are welcome

Social capital, human capital and ethnic occupational niches: an analysis of ethnic and gender inequalities in the Spanish labour market

This article analyses the role of different types of social capital in the integration of immigrants into the labour market of Catalonia (Spain), according to the geographical distribution and ethnic characteristics of immigrants’ contacts. It aims to test the role of social networks, human capital and the ethno-stratification of the labour market in immigrants’ labour market performance; and to contribute to understanding the often overlooked but complex interactions between these factors and gender inequalities. Results show that transnational ties constitute a weak resource in obtaining job benefits, that labour-intensive ethnic occupational niches confine immigrants to low-skilled positions to a great extent and that, even controlling for human capital and industrial sectors, having supportive links with native-born Spaniards has a positive effect on migrants’ occupational status. Finally, gendered differences are also evident in respect of returns on social capital, indicating that the sexually segregated occupational structure of the Spanish labour market makes social capital a weaker resource for women immigrants