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Journal ArticleDOI

Networks, dynamics, and the small-world phenomenon

Duncan J. Watts
- 01 Sep 1999 - 
- Vol. 105, Iss: 2, pp 493-527
TLDR
The small‐world phenomenon, formalized in this article as the coincidence of high local clustering and short global separation, is shown to be a general feature of sparse, decentralized networks that are neither completely ordered nor completely random.
Abstract
The small‐world phenomenon formalized in this article as the coincidence of high local clustering and short global separation, is shown to be a general feature of sparse, decentralized networks that are neither completely ordered nor completely random. Networks of this kind have received little attention, yet they appear to be widespread in the social and natural sciences, as is indicated here by three distinct examples. Furthermore, small admixtures of randomness to an otherwise ordered network can have a dramatic impact on its dynamical, as well as structural, properties‐a feature illustrated by a simple model of disease transmission.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI

The Structure and Function of Complex Networks

Mark Newman
- 01 Jan 2003 - 
TL;DR: Developments in this field are reviewed, including such concepts as the small-world effect, degree distributions, clustering, network correlations, random graph models, models of network growth and preferential attachment, and dynamical processes taking place on networks.
Journal ArticleDOI

Structural Holes and Good Ideas.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors outline the mechanism by which brokerage provides social capital, and show that between-group brokers are more likely to express ideas, less likely to have ideas dismissed, and more likely have ideas evaluated as valuable.
Journal ArticleDOI

Taking Stock of Networks and Organizations: A Multilevel Perspective

TL;DR: The central argument of network research is that actors are embedded in networks of interconnected social relationships that offer opportunities for and constraints on behavior as discussed by the authors, and the authors of this paper review the antecedents and consequences of networks at the interpersonal, interunit, and interorganizational levels of analysis, evaluate recent theoretical and empirical trends, and give directions for future research.
Journal ArticleDOI

Influentials, Networks, and Public Opinion Formation

TL;DR: The authors examined the influence of influential individuals in the formation of public opinion and found that large cascades of influence are driven not by influential individuals but by a critical mass of easily influenced individuals.
Journal ArticleDOI

Sampling and Estimation in Hidden Populations Using Respondent-Driven Sampling

TL;DR: This paper develops a sampling and estimation technique called respondent-driven sampling, which allows researchers to make asymptotically unbiased estimates about the characteristics of hidden populations such as injection drug users, the homeless, and artists.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

The Strength of Weak Ties

TL;DR: In this paper, it is argued that the degree of overlap of two individuals' friendship networks varies directly with the strength of their tie to one another, and the impact of this principle on diffusion of influence and information, mobility opportunity, and community organization is explored.
Book

The Evolution of Cooperation

TL;DR: In this paper, a model based on the concept of an evolutionarily stable strategy in the context of the Prisoner's Dilemma game was developed for cooperation in organisms, and the results of a computer tournament showed how cooperation based on reciprocity can get started in an asocial world, can thrive while interacting with a wide range of other strategies, and can resist invasion once fully established.
Journal ArticleDOI

Centrality in social networks conceptual clarification

TL;DR: In this article, three distinct intuitive notions of centrality are uncovered and existing measures are refined to embody these conceptions, and the implications of these measures for the experimental study of small groups are examined.
Journal ArticleDOI

Structural Holes: The Social Structure of Competition.

TL;DR: In this article, structural holes are defined as network gaps between players which create entrepreneurial opportunities for information access, timing, referrals, and for control, and the structural holes also generate control benefits giving certain players an advantage in negotiating their relationships.
Journal ArticleDOI

The Evolution of Cooperation

TL;DR: A model is developed based on the concept of an evolutionarily stable strategy in the context of the Prisoner's Dilemma game to show how cooperation based on reciprocity can get started in an asocial world, can thrive while interacting with a wide range of other strategies, and can resist invasion once fully established.