This project investigates how exogenous shocks that take place in one network affect the structure and evolution of other networks. The objective of the project is to gain a better understanding of the interaction between social and physical networks at critical junctures, allowing both assessment of the conditions of failure and rehabilitation of systems that fail because they are connected to other systems that fail. The main focus is on three types of interrelations between pairs of networks: 1) Overlapping networks: two or more networks that share nodes and/or edges. 2) Complementary networks: two or more networks that perform partially or fully complementary functions (such as e-commerce and shipping networks). 3) Competitive networks: networks in which the flow of goods, information, or energy in one is inversely correlated to the flow of similar items in the other (such as airline and rail transportation).
The intellectual merit of the project rests in explaining the effect of shocks on the structure of interacting social and physical networks. It will allow new insights into the cross-network effects of shocks as a function of both the structure of individual networks and the type of relationships between pairs of networks.
The broader impacts of the project include the development of methods and computerized infrastructure for predicting the impact of a future shock in one network on other networks, potentially providing decision makers with insights into structuring network ties in a way that will optimize the effects of a shock in one network. Finally, this project offers graduate student training and experiencing in theory development, designing mathematical and agent-based models, and empirical evaluation of theoretical models.
