Driving Forces in Physical, Biological and Socio-economic Phenomena: A Network Science Investigation of Social Bonds and InteractionsThis book was first published in 2007. In recent years network science has become a dynamic and promising discipline; here it is extended to explore social and historical phenomena. While we experience social interactions every day, there is little quantitative knowledge on them. Instead we are often tempted to resort to fanciful explanations to explain social trends. Exogenous and endogenous interactions are often the key to understanding social phenomena and unravelling historical mysteries. This book begins by explaining how it is possible to bridge the gap between physics and sociology by exploring how network theory can apply to both. It then examines the macro- and micro-interactions in societies. The chapters are largely self-contained, allowing readers easily to access and understand the sections of most interest. This multi-disciplinary book will be fascinating to all physicists who have an interest in the human sciences and it will provide an alternative perspective to graduate students and researchers in sociology and econophysics. |
Contents
Probing bonds | 3 |
The battle against noise in physics | 26 |
The battle against noise in the social sciences | 35 |
Equilibrium and metastable states | 62 |
Are the data reliable? | 80 |
Shaping the Zeitgeist | 105 |
Bonds of vassalage | 135 |
The absentee ownership syndrome | 150 |
Other editions - View all
Driving Forces in Physical, Biological and Socio-economic Phenomena: A ... Bertrand M. Roehner No preview available - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
absentee landlords age group American apoptosis average BCOF bonds campaign cell phone century chapter consider correlation length corresponds countries curve death decades decrease economic episode equilibrium ethanol example exogenous fact factors fairly fluctuations Foucault Foucault pendulum France French gives graph gravitational waves Hayek higher Hispanics illustrated immigrants increase Indochina instance interactions interval Japan Japanese liquids magnitude males markets marriage rate married means metastable molecules months Napoleon Dynamite neoliberal neutrons noise ratio number of suicides observation occupation occur parameters pattern pendulum perspective phenomenon physics population population pyramid possible question regression result Road to Serfdom Roehner role sex ratio shows signal to noise similar situation social phenomena social sciences societies Sources standard deviation statistical Stockholm network suicide rates Table technique temperature think tanks troops United unmarried variables Vietminh weeks Werther effect whereas York City