This project supports a cultural anthropologist at the University of South Florida in an analysis of the network structure of public and private social service agencies in the Tampa Bay area. Using network algorithms to analyze the function and shape of the interactions between these agencies, the project will describe and analyze the hierarchy of interactions between about 500 agencies. This research is important because communities in the developed world have multiple social service agencies interacting with each other, various levels of government, social institutions such as schools, and the general public. Understanding how these interactions are structured in a hierarchical manner will advance the abilities of decision makers to allocate resources efficiently.
