Theories of Communication Networks

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 432 pages
• Published by: Oxford University Press, USA March 27, 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0195160371
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0195160376
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 1.3 pounds

Book Description
To date, most network research contains one or more of five major problems. First, it tends to be atheoretical, ignoring the various social theories that contain network implications. Second, it explores single levels of analysis rather than the multiple levels out of which most networks are comprised. Third, network analysis has employed very little the insights from contemporary complex systems analysis and computer simulations. Foruth, it typically uses descriptive rather than inferential statistics, thus robbing it of the ability to make claims about the greater universe of networks. Finally, almost all the research is static and cross-sectional rather than dynamic. Theories of Communication Networks presents solutions to all five problems. The authors develop a multitheoretical model that relates different social science theories with different network properties. This model is multilevel, providing a network decomposition that applies the various social theories to all network levels: individuals, dyads, triples, groups, and the entire network. The book then establishes a model from the perspective of complex adaptive systems and demonstrates how to use Blanche, an agent-based network computer simulation environment, to generate and test network theories and hypotheses. It presents recent developments in network statistical analysis, the p* family, which provides a basis for valid multilevel statistical inferences regarding networks. Finally, it shows how to relate communication networks to other networks, thus providing the basis in conjunction with computer simulations to study the emergence of dynamic organizational networks.

About The Author
Peter R. Monge is at University of Southern California. Noshir Contractor is at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Reader Reviews
This book is a good description of various approaches to the wide topic of social network-related theories (not social network theories as in SNA). All chapters (except the last) are a reasonable, literature-rich investigations drawing on different theoretical perspectives of "communication networks". The last chapter is where the authors try to put everyting together, and in my opinion partially fail in doing so. Conclusion is correct and intuitive, yet somehow trivial: thinking about communication networks requires multilevel and multitheoretical approach. On the pros side: rich literature review, many sources cited. The content is dense. Comment | | (Report this)