367 research outputs found
Community detection in networks with positive and negative links
Detecting communities in complex networks accurately is a prime challenge,
preceding further analyses of network characteristics and dynamics. Until now,
community detection took into account only positively valued links, while many
actual networks also feature negative links. We extend an existing Potts model
to incorporate negative links as well, resulting in a method similar to the
clustering of signed graphs, as dealt with in social balance theory, but more
general. To illustrate our method, we applied it to a network of international
alliances and disputes. Using data from 1993--2001, it turns out that the world
can be divided into six power blocs similar to Huntington's civilizations, with
some notable exceptions.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. Revised versio
Searching for relevance:NGOâdonor relationships in a geographically isolated community
This study investigates the practice of NGO (nongovernment organizations)âdonor relationships in a geographically isolated community in Alaska and explores the role of social capital in NGO sustainability. We employ the following parameters to apply social capital concepts to the needs of practitioners: study design centered on variables that are relevant for practitioners, nonlinear production of knowledge, attention to specifics of the context within which agents operate, and transfer of knowledge through the practitionersâ frame of reference. This study reveals that NGOsâ bonding social ties are of primary importance for assuring active donor commitment, while bridging ties serve to secure continuing commitment and support from passive donors. The structural, relational, emotional, and behavioral social capital dimensions shape both bonding and bridging ties, though they differ in their nature. Active donor commitment is increased by strengthening and extending the circle of bonding ties
Assessing the Effects of Personal Characteristics and Context on U.S. House Speakersâ Leadership Styles, 1789-2006
Research on congressional leadership has been dominated in recent decades by contextual interpretations that see leadersâ behavior as best explained by the environment in which they seek to exercise leadershipâparticularly, the preference homogeneity and size of their party caucus. The role of agency is thus discounted, and leadersâ personal characteristics and leadership styles are underplayed. Focusing specifically on the speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives from the first to the 110th Congress, we construct measures of each speakerâs commitment to comity and leadership assertiveness. We find the scores reliable and then test the extent to which a speakerâs style is the product of both political context and personal characteristics. Regression estimates on speakersâ personal assertiveness scores provide robust support for a context-plus-personal characteristics explanation, whereas estimates of their comity scores show that speakersâ personal backgrounds trump context
Co-production in an Information Age: Individual and Community Engagement Supported by New Media
Jornalismo, democracia e golpe: a crise de 1955 nas pĂĄginas do Correio da ManhĂŁ e de O Estado de S. Paulo
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