Networks

A Map of the Brazilian Stock Market

by Leonidas Sandoval

Cluster formation and evolution in networks of financial market indices

by Leonidas Sandoval

Using data from world stock exchange indices prior to and during periods of global financial crises,
clusters and... more Using data from world stock exchange indices prior to and during periods of global financial crises,
clusters and networks of indices are built for different thresholds and diverse periods of time, so that it
is then possible to analyze how clusters are formed according to correlations among indices and how they
evolve in time, particularly during times of financial crises. Further analysis is made on the eigenvectors
corresponding to the second highest eigenvalues of the correlation matrices, revealing a structure peculiar to
markets that operate in different time zones.

Survivability and centrality measures for networks of financial market indices

by Leonidas Sandoval

Using data from 92 indices of stock exchanges worldwide, I analize the cluster formation and evolution
from 2007... more Using data from 92 indices of stock exchanges worldwide, I analize the cluster formation and evolution
from 2007 to 2010, which includes the Subprime Mortgage Crisis of 2008, using asset graphs based on distance
thresholds. I also study the survivability of connections and of clusters through time and the influence of
noise in centrality measures applied to the networks of financial indices.

Pruning a Minimum Spanning Tree

by Leonidas Sandoval

This work employs some techniques in order to filter random noise from the information provided byminimum spanning... more This work employs some techniques in order to filter random noise from the information provided byminimum spanning trees obtained from the correlation matrices of international stock market indices prior toand during times of crisis. The first technique establishes a threshold above which connections are consideredaffected by noise, based on the study of random networks with the same probability density distribution of the original data. The second technique is to judge the strengh of a connection by its survival rate, which isthe amount of time a connection between two stock market indices endure. The idea is that true connectionswill survive for longer periods of time, and that random connections will not. That information is thencombined with the information obtained from the first technique in order to create a smaller network, wheremost of the connections are either strong or enduring in time.

Netzwerk, Organisation, Panne. Moralökonomische Analysen zur Krise der Gepäckabfertigung an zwei europäischen Flughäfen <2007>

by Joerg Potthast

book chapter

ed. Stefan Kaufmann, Vernetzte Steuerung. Zürich: Chronos, 109-129

The formal organization is often referred to as "the skeleton of a company" set up to handle easily... more The formal organization is often referred to as "the skeleton of a company" set up to handle easily anticipated problems but failing to cope with unexpected problems. According to a common understanding, informal networks compensate for this organizational failure. Surprisingly, the way formal organizational procedures and informal networks are linked to each other has rarely been theorized. Moreover, reticular practices and the way they cope with situations of uncertainty are often accounted for in negative terms only (i.e. the absence of formal organization). Therefore, the question of how organizations respond to critical situations needs to be rethought. Replacing a simple mechanistic model of how formal and informal responses to critical situations are linked, a hypothesis of interference is spelt out. As situations of uncertainty are not governed exclusively in a network mode, the emphasis is put on coexisting and conflicting patterns of responses to breakdowns. To detect these conflicts, two sets of practices may be distinguished: While a first process of inquiry is directed towards what caused the breakdown, simultaneously a second process of inquiry reframes the situation in terms of responsibility. What caused the failure – and who is to blame for it? To test and exemplify the interference or twin process hypothesis the paper will draw on two case studies on the serious baggage crisis airport operators faced when they adopted a hub and spoke operational scheme.

Selective Processing: A Strategic Challenge for Public Diplomacy. An Alternative Approach to Russian Public Diplomacy in the United States

by Yelena Osipova

Published in Gnovis Journal, Volume XII, Issue II, Spring 2012

The information age has made public diplomacy an integral component of statecraft. In essence, public diplomacy is... more The information age has made public diplomacy an integral component of statecraft. In essence, public diplomacy is transnational and cross-cultural strategic communication that aims to inform and engage foreign publics. Yet, developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs) have also made it much more difficult to overcome the cacophony and noise, especially in contexts where the audience is not predisposed to listening in the first place. Therefore, there is a need to approach the challenge through alternative communication strategies, incorporating them into the overall nature as well as specific techniques of any public diplomacy strategy. This analysis looks at the case of Russian public diplomacy in the United States, where, even twenty years after the end of the Cold War and various public diplomacy initiatives, public attitude towards Russia is still largely negative. The paper posits that selective processing of information is a potential explanation and suggests relational and network-based approaches to improve the effectiveness of Russian public diplomacy in the US.

Relationships between Health Care Organisations: A critical overview of the literature & a research agenda

by Gerry McGivern

Ferlie, E. & McGivern, G. (2003) ‘Relationships between Health Care Organisations: A critical overview of the literature & a research agenda.’ Report for the National Co-ordinating Centre for NHS Service Delivery & Organisation by the CPSO, Imperial College London.

Networks, Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management: NHS Cancer Networks

by Gerry McGivern

Addicott, R. McGivern, G. & Ferlie, E. (2006) ‘Networks, Organisational Learning and Knowledge Management: The Case of NHS Cancer Networks.’ Public Money & Management, 26 (2) 87-94

There has been increased interest in the UK in network-based modes of organizing in the public services, as opposed to... more There has been increased interest in the UK in network-based modes of organizing in the public services, as opposed to markets or hierarchies. One supposed advantage of the network form is a greater capacity for the transfer of evidence-based or ‘best’ practices across the network and accelerated organizational learning. Such networks may have a knowledge management role and stimulate the formation of ‘communities of practice’. This article tests these arguments using data from a study of managed NHS cancer networks in London. The general pattern was for networks to concentrate on structural reconfiguration, while their knowledge management role remained marginal. Some alternative implications for future policy development are considered.

The Distortion of Managerial Technique: The Case of UK Cancer Networks

by Gerry McGivern

Addicott, R., McGivern, G. & Ferlie, E. (2007) ‘The Distortion of Managerial Technique: The Case of UK Cancer Networks.’ British Journal of Management, 18 (1) 93-105.

Managed networks are increasingly common in the British National Health Service (NHS) as a means of streamlining and... more Managed networks are increasingly common in the British National Health Service (NHS) as a means of streamlining and standardizing patient care across organizational and professional boundaries. However, there has been limited research regarding whether this technique is the most appropriate management style for delivery of health services. This article draws upon the authors' research on managed clinical networks for cancer in the UK–a model that set out to guide and develop knowledge flows across cancer service providers. It examines how the initial purpose of these networks was distorted by the broader function of New Labour's ‘modernization agenda’, which has ultimately focused on organizational restructuring and adhering to government targets. Our analysis, which develops Lozeau, Langley and Denis's model of the corruption of managerial techniques, suggests that the initial knowledge-sharing purpose of networks underwent top-down ‘distortion’ by the demands of central government. This resulted in superficial bottom-up adoption of the networks model and limited impact upon organizational processes.

Public Policy Networks and 'Wicked Problems': A Nascent Solution?

by Gerry McGivern

Ferlie, E., McGivern, G., Fitzgerald, L., Dopson, S. & Bennett, C. (2011) 'Public Policy Networks and 'Wicked Problems': A Nascent Solution?' Public Administration, 89 (2), 307-324.

The last two decades have seen a shift in public services organizations from hierarchies to networks. Network forms... more The last two decades have seen a shift in public services organizations from hierarchies to networks. Network forms are seen as particularly suited to handling ‘wicked problems'. We make an assessment of the nature and impact of this shift. Using recent evidence from the United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service (NHS), we explore the nature and functioning of eight different public policy networks. We are also interested in whether there has been a radical transition – or not – from hierarchical to network forms.

A new mode of organizing in health care? Governmentality and managed networks in cancer services in England.

by Gerry McGivern

Ferlie, E., McGivern, G. & Fitzgerald, L. (2012) ‘A New Mode of Organising in Health Care? UK Cancer Services and Governmentality’. Social Science & Medicine, 74 (3) 340-7.

We explore the argument that a new mode of health care organizing is emerging which moves beyond the established... more We explore the argument that a new mode of health care organizing is emerging which moves beyond the established professional dominance versus New Public Management (NPM) debate. We review Foucault's work on 'governmentality', as applied to health care organizations. We specify two specific Foucauldian themes (the power/knowledge nexus in Evidence Based Medicine (EBM); and the technologies of the clinical managerial self) to analyse organizing in the English cancer services field. We introduce two qualitative case studies of Managed Cancer Networks. We suggest their governance can be fruitfully seen through a 'governmentality' lens. We consider implications for developing Foucauldian analysis of health care organizations.

Learning without a distance: Networked learning

by Paul Bouchard

This is Not For You: The Rise and Fall of Music Milieux in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, 1950s -1990s

by Rylan Kafara

MA Thesis.

When Nirvana found sudden commercial success with the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in 1991, the music industry’s... more When Nirvana found sudden commercial success with the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in 1991, the music industry’s attention became focused on Seattle for the first time. The city, however, had a rich musical tradition going back decades.  This thesis examines the rise and fall of music communities in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest from the 1950s to the 1990s: the jazz mileu in Seattle in the 1950s, the Pacific Northwest garage rock network of the 1960s, and the alternative music community of the 1980s and early 1990s. It looks at the factors involved in the development of these three distinct scenes: timing, innovation, and marketability, showing the opportunities and limitations of regional music milieux. In doing so, it reveals a trend of musicians of each scene departing Seattle for more major industry centres like Los Angeles. What separated the milieu Nirvana participated in from earlier regional communities was the fact musicians stopped leaving Seattle. This thesis shows why it was finally more beneficial for them to stay.

Industry influenced evidence production in collaborative research communities: A network analysis

by Adam Dunn

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology

Objective
To measure the relative influence that industry authors have on collaborative research communities and... more Objective
To measure the relative influence that industry authors have on collaborative research communities and evidence production.

Study Design and Setting
Using 22 commonly prescribed drugs, 6,711 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and 28,104 authors, 22 collaboration networks were constructed and analyzed. The directly industry-affiliated (DIA) authors were identified in the networks according to their published affiliations. Measures of influence (network centrality) and impact (citations) were determined for every author. Network-level measures of community structure and collaborative preference were used to further characterize the groups.

Results
Six percent (1,741 of 28,104) of authors listed a direct affiliation with the manufacturer of a drug evaluated in the RCT. These authors received significantly more citations (P < 0.05 in 19 networks) and were significantly more central in the networks (P < 0.05 in 20 networks). The networks show that DIA authors tend to have greater reach in the networks and collaborate more often with non-DIA authors despite a preference toward their own group. Potential confounders include publication bias, trial sizes, and conclusions.

Conclusions
Industry-based authors are more central in their networks and are deeply embedded within highly connected drug research communities. As a consequence, they have the potential to influence information flow in the production of evidence.

Geographies of production III: knowledge, cultural economies and work (revisited)

by Suzanne Reimer

Le moment Atlantique de la dynastie des Winthrop au XVIIe siècle (The Atlantic Moment of the Winthrop Dynasty in the Seventeenth Century)

by Lauric Henneton

Lauric Henneton, « Le moment Atlantique de la dynastie des Winthrop au XVIIe siècle », Les Cahiers de Framespa [En ligne], 9 | 2012, mis en ligne le 08 mars 2012, consulté le 14 mars 2012. URL : http://framespa.revues.org/979

Using the case of the Winthrop dynasty, this essay explores the successive stages of an Anglo-American family’s... more Using the case of the Winthrop dynasty, this essay explores the successive stages of an Anglo-American family’s expansion in an Atlantic world that was still nascent in the mid-17th century. This process is here referred to as atlanticization. The Winthrop brothers (the sons of Governor John Winthrop) and their uncle Emmanuel Downing managed to establish a network stretching from New England to the West Indies to the British Isles, the Wine Islands and as far as the African west coast (« Guinea »). However, in spite of this genuinely Atlantic configuration (polygonal and shifting) and not just transatlantic (bipolar), the political upheavals of the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy and a series of deaths in the family were to launch a contrary process of de-atlantization, just as Atlantic trade began to expand significantly. Beyond the sole commercial dimension, this paper considers the multiple and overlapping Atlantic worlds (family, diplomatic, imperial, missionary and scientific) in which the Winthrops were involved.

Revisiting the Curious World of Art & Hacktivism.

by Marc Garrett

published as an article on Furtherfield March 10th 2012.

Revisiting the Curious World of Art & Hacktivism, is the first of a series of articles exploring how contemporary... more Revisiting the Curious World of Art & Hacktivism, is the first of a series of articles exploring how contemporary artists engaged with technology and activism are transcending established art behaviours. Crossing over into territories that reflect not only social and political contexts, but new dialogues of experiencing and understanding art. The politics of today becomes the background, the material and canvas of imaginative and critical play.

ICT Network Impact on Structuring a Competitive ERA

by Koichiro Okamura

Stefano Breschi, Robert Fisher, Franco Malerba, Koichiro Okamura, Siemon Smid, Nick Vonortas (2012), "ICT Network Impact on structuring a competitive ERA", Final Report of the study "ICT Network Impact on Structuring a Competitive ERA" (http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/information_society/evaluation/studies/2009/index_smart34_en.htm)

The core objective of this study was to develop and implement a methodological framework for assessing the... more The core objective of this study was to develop and implement a methodological framework for assessing the effectiveness of ICT-RTD networks formed in Framework Programme Six (FP6) and Framework Programme Seven (FP7) in supporting the competitiveness of the European Research Area (ERA). More specifically, the study analysed the networks of organizations engaged in FP funded pre-competitive research co-operation. The basic building blocks of the network are a set of organizations and the ties that link them. The set of organizations included the 7286 distinct organizations that participated in the collaborative ICT-RTD projects funded by the DG INFSO in FP6 and FP7.

The Transformation of Quantity Into Quality: Critical Mass in the Formation of Customary International

by William Worster

The formation of customary international law has long been criticized for its lack of a clear methodology,... more The formation of customary international law has long been criticized for its lack of a clear methodology, characterized by an ambivalent relationship with state consent. Although customary international law seems to be entirely a creature of state consent, after all it is based on actual practice, in reality the fit with state consent is loose at best. Customary international law only awkwardly bridges the gap between a descriptive and prescriptive norm. Unable to move forward, the study of the formation of customary international law appears to have largely reached an impasse. Yet, states still appear to support and apply customary international law as a source of law, so we are faced with the situation of embracing a source of law that we do not understand well and where the applicable law is often vague.

This article is an attempt to bring into international law a perspective from the hard and soft sciences for discussing the formation of customary international law, specifically the study of critical mass in collective group behavior. This language is not entirely new to discussions on customary international law. Where it has been mentioned, the implications of critical mass theory have not been fully explored. Critical mass can be a loose concept to simply describe the accumulation of small actions that result in large shifts in collective behavior; however, it is also an empirically-based scientific study that attempts to assess how those changes come about. This article seeks to delve more deeply into critical mass and apply the insights from this study to the formation of customary international law.

Following a very brief introduction with background on customary international law, the paper will describe how the social sciences have embraced the critical mass theoretical perspective in the study of collective decision-making. Three primary elements of social change will be identified: (1) the importance of the content of the norm, (2) the role of influence through networks, and (3) the role of key individuals, “opinion leaders” and “opinion diffusors”.

Following this review of the science, the author will draw some implications for customary international law. In particular, the author will re-characterize three major discussions within customary international law into the three key factors of critical mass. The first discussion is that over the qualitative assessment of norms. The second is the growing influence of networks either as transnational governance or international organization rule-making. The final discussion is a proposal to understand the role of the “specially interested” state as a norm entrepreneur. The paper will conclude that study of critical mass can contribute to a better, and more formal, methodology for understanding customary international law.

CANONICO P, DE NITO E, MANGIA M, MARTINEZ M, Il controllo organizzativo dell'innovazione, in reti per l'innovazione a cura di F. Izzo, McGraw Hill Milano 2011 isbn 978-88-386-7256-9

by Marcello Martinez