Workshop: Support for Political Networks Conference and Training Workshops

George Mason University, Fairfax VA

Investigators

Abstract

General Summary As a field of study, network methods are relatively new to the discipline of political science; however, they are critical to questions of politics. At its core, politics involves human interaction. For too long politics has been studied as a process focused on individuals, where scholars have understood that individuals' incentives and choices are shaped by the rules and institutions around them. This tradition comes from economics, largely. However, as a social science, it is imperative for scholars to ask and answer puzzles about politics that recognize the relational nature of politics. Political actions cannot be understood in the absence of a recognition that political actors' choices are dependent on others in their network. This is true about voters, legislators, dictators, countries, and all types of political actors. This award provides supplemental support for PhD students and junior faculty to travel to attend the Political Networks Conference and Training Workshops. The resources provided by this grant are dedicated to support graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and under-funded assistant professors, expand diversity efforts, extend mentoring and networking efforts, and encourage the development and dissemination of new methods and theories appropriate for the specific needs of subfields brought together by an interest in studying political networks. The training workshops leverage participants' strengths in training and mentoring to advance the field of political networks and foster interdisciplinary ties in this important methodological area. Technical Summary This is a particularly promising period for the development of network studies in politics. Extensive big data sets, expanded computational capabilities, and newly-developed analytic techniques have reduced many of the past obstacles to the serious study of political networks. Hence the study of political networks is at an important juncture, supported by newly established interdisciplinary organizations, an organized section, and training efforts that are currently underway. As a consequence, network studies have gained supporters and practitioners in virtually every area of political study; political institutions, comparative politics, political behavior, international relations, public policy, parties and elections, public opinion, interest groups, social movements, and political communication. The resources provided by this grant are dedicated to support graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and under-funded assistant professors, expand diversity efforts, extend mentoring and networking efforts, and encourage the development and dissemination of new methods and theories appropriate for the specific needs of subfields brought together by an interest in studying political networks. The training workshops leverage participants' strengths in training and mentoring to advance the field of political networks and foster interdisciplinary ties in this important methodological area. The training and conference is interdisciplinary by design, and it is exciting to see deep and extensive engagement across disciplines. The grant is aimed specifically to achieve training and learning for participants. In addition, the goal is that participants then take what they learn and move it into their graduate and undergraduate teaching and contribute to quantitative social science programs at their home institutions.