Journal on Policy and Complex Systems
5 . Networks
The critical dynamics that comprise complex behavior and which gives rise to their profound behavior is the way that elements are related to , and interact with , each other . Formal insight on this aspect of systems has led to the development of the science of networks . Networks provide the linkage between critical realism , complex systems , and the empirical aspects of social capital .
The means by which we can begin to understand many complex systems is through the simplification of complex dynamics . In networks , the nomenclature of nodes and edges are used as key descriptors . Nodes are the entities that comprise a system ( people , books , papers , and so on ) and edges are the relationships that connect the entities ( trust , social ties , citations , and so on ). The structure of nodes and edges gives a topology that can be studied and modeled in ways ranging from simple visualizations to highly complex mathematical and statistical analyses ( Snijders , 2011 ).
A second critical aspect of network analytics is the dynamics that occur on the network structures as movements of influence , resources , or information . In the case of social networks , friendship , neighborhood and family ties form systems of nodes and ties that are complex but analyzable . Even a few dozen nodes with very
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simply dynamic qualifiers can become highly complex very quickly and are surprisingly difficult to analyze . The advent of mathematics supported by computation has enabled significant growth in the application of network analysis to a wide range of phenomena ; however , one of the significant boundaries network scientists face are the in-principle non-computable problems owing to exponential increases in computational calculations with network size and dynamic complexity ( Newman , 2010 ).
The highly complex realities that arise from topology and dynamics interactions require critical assessment of how much detail can be included in analysis . In planning environments , transportation has made significant use of network analysis to understand the dynamics of how people and vehicles move on roads , sidewalks , and other spatial structures and the role these structures play in large scale social and cultural dynamics ( Little , 2002 ; Omrani , 2015 ; Papinski , Scott , & Doherty , 2009 ). In the case of social capital investigation where trust , relational connections , and proximity all interact in significantly subtle and powerful ways , network analysis becomes an obvious and important means of investigating the dynamics of social structures . The social infrastructure of cities is a highly complex network of relationships between people , groups , associations , in-