Theories of Communication Networks

To date most network research contains one or more of five major problems. First it tends to be atheoretical ignoring the various social theories that contain network implications. Second it explores single levels of analysis rather than the multiple levels out of which most networks are comprised. Third network analysis has employed very little the insights from contemporary complex systems analysis and computer simulations. Foruth it typically uses descriptive rather than inferential statistics thus robbing it of the ability to make claims about the larger universe of networks. Finally almost all the research is static and cross-sectional rather than dynamic. Theories of Communication Networks presents solutions to all five problems. The authors develop a multitheoretical model that relates different social science theories with different network properties. This model is multilevel providing a network decomposition that applies the various social theories to all network levels: individuals dyads triples groups and the entire network. The book then establishes a model from the perspective of complex adaptive systems and demonstrates how to use Blanche an agent-based network computer simulation environment to generate and test network theories and hypotheses. It presents recent developments in network statistical anlysis the p* family which provides a basis for valid multilevel statistical inferences regarding networks. Finally it shows how to relate communication networks to other networks thus providing the basis in conjunction with computer simulations to study the emergence of dynamic organizational networks.