Workshop: Support for Political Networks Conference and Training Workshops

概述作为一个研究领域，网络方法对于政治学学科来说是相对较新的；然而，它们对政治问题是至关重要的。政治的核心是人与人之间的互动。长期以来，政治一直被研究为一个以个人为中心的过程，学者们已经理解到，个人的激励和选择是由他们周围的规则和制度塑造的。这一传统很大程度上来自经济学。然而，作为一门社会科学，学者们必须对认识到政治的关系性质的政治难题进行提问和解答。如果不承认政治行为者的选择依赖于其网络中的其他人，就不能理解政治行动。选民、立法者、独裁者、国家和所有类型的政治行为者都是如此。该奖项为博士生和初级教师前往参加政治网络会议和培训研讨会提供补充支持。这笔赠款提供的资源专门用于支持研究生、博士后研究员和资金不足的助理教授，扩大多样性努力，扩大指导和联网努力，并鼓励开发和传播适合于研究政治网络的兴趣聚集在一起的子领域的特定需求的新方法和理论。培训讲习班利用学员在培训和指导方面的优势，推动政治网络领域的发展，并促进这一重要方法领域的跨学科联系。技术总结对于政治学网络研究的发展来说，这是一个特别有希望的时期。大量的大数据集、扩展的计算能力和新开发的分析技术减少了过去认真研究政治网络的许多障碍。因此，在新成立的跨学科组织、有组织的部门和目前正在进行的培训工作的支持下，对政治网络的研究正处于一个重要的关头。因此，网络研究在政治研究的几乎所有领域都获得了支持者和实践者；政治机构、比较政治、政治行为、国际关系、公共政策、政党和选举、舆论、利益集团、社会运动和政治传播。这笔赠款提供的资源专门用于支持研究生、博士后研究员和资金不足的助理教授，扩大多样性努力，扩大指导和联网努力，并鼓励开发和传播适合于研究政治网络的兴趣聚集在一起的子领域的特定需求的新方法和理论。培训讲习班利用学员在培训和指导方面的优势，推动政治网络领域的发展，并促进这一重要方法领域的跨学科联系。培训和会议在设计上是跨学科的，看到跨学科的深入和广泛的参与是令人兴奋的。这笔赠款的具体目的是实现参与者的培训和学习。此外，目标是参与者将他们学到的东西转移到他们的研究生和本科教学中，并在他们的家乡机构为量化社会科学项目做出贡献。

General SummaryAs 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 SummaryThis 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.