Collaborative Research: Innovation in Social Networks

最近大规模网络和在线通信的增长催生了网络传播信息的新方式。但许多研究问题仍未得到解答，例如网络如何影响创新，网络结构如何塑造思想或技术之间的竞争。这项研究的目标是考察研究社区及其之间的联系如何影响创新。它发展了一种理论，说明个人之间的联系和联系的缺失如何影响创新过程，并特别关注跨越不同社区的“边界代理人”的作用。该项目处于计算机科学和经济学的前沿。计算机科学家长期以来一直在研究信息是如何创建和处理的。经济学家长期以来一直在研究创新的激励措施。这个项目引入了一种新的范式。它研究人员和公司网络中的创新，其中信息通过网络链接流动。开发这一范式需要深入理解网络的图论属性和参与者的动机。主要研究人员的组合工具不仅代表了计算机科学和经济学的重大方法论进步，也代表了更广泛的科学的方法论进步。该项目增加了妇女和代表不足的群体对科学的参与。研究生课程对所有相关领域的学生进行最先进的网络科学工具培训，包括经济学、社会科学、数学和计算机科学，而研究生课程则包含社交网络示例。此外，这项研究还促进了对代表不足的群体参与社会和经济网络的理解。最后，该项目的科学目标是开发知识，为政策制定者设计创新、发现和多样性的激励措施提供信息。

The recent growth in large-scale networks and online communication has generated new ways in which networks can diffuse information. But a number of research questions remain unanswered, such as how networks affect innovation and how network structure shapes competition among ideas or technologies.The goal of the research is to examine how research communities and links between them affect innovation. It develops a theory of how connections and absences of connections among individuals influence the process of innovation, with particular attention paid to the role of "boundary agents" who straddle different communities.Intellectual Merit. The project is poised at the frontier of computer science and economics. Computer scientists have long studied how information is created and processed. Economists have long studied incentives for innovation. This project introduces a new paradigm. It studies innovation in networks of people and firms, where information flows through network links. Developing this paradigm requires a deep understanding of the graph-theoretic properties of the network and the incentives of the participants. The combined tools of the principal investigators represent a significant methodological advance not only for computer science and economics, but the sciences more generally.Broader Impact. The project increases participation of women and under-represented groups in science. A graduate course trains students in state-of-the-art tools in network science from all relevant fields including economics, social sciences, mathematics, and computer science, while under graduate courses incorporate social network examples. In addition, the research advances understanding about the participation of underrepresented groups in social and economic networks. Finally, the scientific aims of the project develop knowledge that can inform policy makers in designing incentives for innovation, discovery, and diversity.