1287. sredin seminar: Dmitry Zaytsev: Political and policy networks: state-of-the-art and breakthrough research agenda

In the last few decades, mathematics and computer methods have had tremendous influence on the development of arts and sciences. With that, there is an inherent contradiction between applying mathematical approaches in social sciences and developing social sciences theory. Mathematical and computer sciences are paradigmatically designed to simplify the phenomena under study as social sciences produce more complicated theories that match the complex social processes. Both sides are perfectly aware of this divide, and mathematicians are trying to create more complex models, fitting the demands of social scientists as sociologists apply more complex mathematical methods to test their theories, using the increasing computing capabilities. However, the paradigm differences remain strong: mathematicians simplify more while social scientists complicate more. The key question is how to bridge this divide?

 

Examination of the above problem is the focus on this presentation. I demonstrate the use of network analysis for the study of politics and policy, with examples of policy network visualizations, calculation of centrality measures, building social influence and social selection models, including ERGM models, for political phenomena and processes. I demonstrate the necessity to model the complexity of political processes and policy-making as a conjunction of variety of actors and factors external to the policy actors’ activity, highlighting the need to move the focus of social science studies to complex modeling. Complex modeling with network analytics involves application of longitudinal network analysis, multimode and multilevel networks.

 

I pay special attention to the state-of-the-art and breakthrough research agenda for policy networks studies. During the last few decades, the interest in policy processes generated a number of formal theoretical explanations, which demand testing with complex mathematical models. Among them are the Advocacy Coalition framework (Sabatier, Hank Jenkins-Smith 1993), Punctuated equilibrium theory (Frank R. Baumgartner and Bryan D. Jones 1993), Multiple streams approach (Kingdon 1984), Policy styles theories (Richardson et al. 1982), Policy Design & Policy Capacity framework (Howlett et. Al 2018), Pragmatic Approach to Public Policy (Zittoun 2014), and some others. Each of them makes its own unique contributions explaining the multidimensional and complex nature of public policy and policy change. In doing so, they attempt to grasp the multiactor nature of policy-making. The variety of actors in public policy is reflected in such terms as policy communities, policy coalitions, and, finally, policy networks. The results of policy-making are dependent on activity and configuration of such policy networks and various conditions, or factors, that are situational depending on configuration of certain combinations. Social Network Analysis, as a methodological framework, provides us with terms, methods, and quantitative statistical techniques that allow us to model the complicated policy processes for a given policy, and provide an opportunity to and develop theories of policy processes that go above and beyond what other instruments provided. At present time, however, we still lack empirical research - verification and validation of developed theories.