Sunbelt XXXI International Network for Social Network ... - INSNA

Network Structure And “Analytical Frameworks” In Frontier Capital MarketsEvans, Daniel ; Moten, Margaret; Lospinoso, JoshuaNetworks and EconomicsEconomic Networks, Community Structure, Markets, Meta Networks, Analytical MethodsTHURS.AM2The Network Science Center at West Point seeks to advance basic research in human network structure of social, communication, and cognitive branches ofNetwork Analysis in the context of Frontier Capital Markets. Frontier Capital Markets are defined by Standard and Poor’s as the capital markets of developingnations typically in Southern and Southwest Asia, Africa, South America and Eastern Europe with the minimal requirements for global investment. The majorNetwork Analysis research questions we seek to address are: (1) What metrics of network structure best describe a multidimensional, weighted relationshipgraph of Frontier Capital Market actors? (2) What is the relationship between Frontier Capital Market Network Structure and Nation‐State stability? (3) Can aSocial Network model provide a descriptive model of Frontier Capital Market success/failure? Over the past year, the team has compiled open source socialand organizational data for three different Frontier Capital Markets. Additionally, we have visited these countries and interviewed people that we haveindentified through traditional Network Analysis methods to be key nodes or connectors in the networks. From this data, we have developed a quantitativecomparison that effectively compares the “social layer” topology of these different capital markets. Based upon our compilation of data and expertinterviews, we have realized that modeling and collecting appropriate data on Frontier Markets from a network perspective is more complex than originallyposited. We will present two proposed “analytical frameworks”, as well as initial results, based on the compilation of data and in‐country interviews: 1) A“Capital Markets Functions” framework that builds upon the underlying the social network in the capital market and describes the particular capital market in“Macroeconomic” terms. This functional framework allows us to develop network topologies and, consequentially, allows us to compare these Frontier CapitalMarkets. 2) Building on the groundbreaking concepts published in a paper published in 2004 by Van der Gaag and Snijders entitled “The Resource Generator:Social capital quantification with concrete items,” the team has developed an innovative method to gather data and then quantify and classify the SocialCapital levels in these Frontier Capital Markets. With these results, the team can then compare the network topologies that are generated.