Estimating Local Decision-Making Behavior in Complex Evolutionary Systems

Research in systems engineering and design is increasingly focused on complex sociotechnical systems whose structures are not directly controlled by the designers, but evolve endogenously as a result of decisions and behaviors of self-directed entities. Examples of such systems include smart electric grids, Internet, smart transportation networks, and open source product development communities. To influence the structure and performance of such systems, it is crucial to understand the local decisions that result in observed system structures. This paper presents three approaches to estimate the local behaviors and preferences in complex evolutionary systems, modeled as networks, from its structure at different time steps. The first approach is based on the generalized preferential attachment model of network evolution. In the second approach, statistical regression-based models are used to estimate the local decision-making behaviors from consecutive snapshots of the system structure. In the third approach, the entities are modeled as rational decision-making agents who make linking decisions based on the maximization of their payoffs. Within the decision-centric framework, the multinomial logit choice model is adopted to estimate the preferences of decision-making nodes. The approaches are illustrated and compared using an example of the autonomous system (AS) level Internet. The approaches are generally applicable to a variety of complex systems that can be modeled as networks. The insights gained are expected to direct researchers in choosing the most applicable estimation approach to get the node-level behaviors in the context of different scenarios.

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Estimating the Node-Level Behaviors in Complex Networks From Structural Datasets

Volume 2B: 33rd Computers and Information in Engineering Conference ◽

10.1115/detc2013-12063 ◽

2013 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zhenghui Sha ◽

Jitesh H. Panchal

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Communication Networks ◽

Choice Model ◽

Preferential Attachment ◽

Network Evolution ◽

Statistical Regression ◽

Node Level ◽

Endogenous Networks ◽

Attachment Model ◽

And Performance

There is an emerging class of networks that evolve endogenously based on the local characteristics and behaviors of nodes. Examples of such networks include social, economic, and peer-to-peer communication networks. The node-level behaviors determine the overall structure and performance of these networks. This is in contrast to exogenously designed networks whose structures are directly determined by network designers. To influence the performance of endogenous networks, it is crucial to understand a) what kinds of local behaviors result in the observed network structures and b) how these local behaviors influence the overall performance. The focus in this paper is on the first aspect, where information about the structure of networks is available at different points in time and the goal is to estimate the behavior of nodes that resulted in the observed structures. We use three different approaches to estimate the node-level behaviors. The first approach is based on the generalized preferential attachment model of network evolution. In the second approach, statistical regression-based models are used to estimate the node-level behaviors from consecutive snapshots of the network structure. In the third approach, the nodes are modeled as rational decision-making agents who make linking decisions based on the maximization of their payoffs. Within the decision-making framework, the multinomial logit choice model is adopted to estimate the preferences of decision-making nodes. The autonomous system (AS) level Internet is used as an illustrative example to illustrate and compare the three approaches.

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The Veil of Bureaucracy: How Officials Evade Partisan Politics in Participatory Settings

Social Currents ◽

10.1177/23294965211028846 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 232949652110288

Author(s):

Meaghan Stiman

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Political Ideology ◽

Partisan Politics ◽

Community Voice ◽

Political Debates ◽

Local Decision ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

The Veil ◽

Local Decision Making ◽

Do So

In theory, participatory democracies are thought to empower citizens in local decision-making processes. However, in practice, community voice is rarely representative, and even in cases of equal representation, citizens are often disempowered through bureaucratic processes. Drawing on the case of a firearm discharge debate from a rural county’s municipal meetings in Virginia, I extend research about how power operates in participatory settings. Partisan political ideology fueled the debate amongst constituents in expected ways, wherein citizens engaged collectivist and individualist frames to sway the county municipal board ( Celinska 2007 ). However, it was a third frame that ultimately explains the ordinance’s repeal: the bureaucratic frame, an ideological orientation to participatory processes that defers decision-making to disembodied abstract rules and procedures. This frame derives its power from its depoliticization potential, allowing bureaucrats to evade contentious political debates. Whoever is best able to wield this frame not only depoliticizes the debate to gain rationalized legitimacy but can do so in such a way to favor a partisan agenda. This study advances gun research and participatory democracy research by analyzing how the bureaucratic frame, which veils partisanship, offers an alternative political possibility for elected officials, community leaders, and citizens to adjudicate partisan debates.

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Allocating HIV prevention resources: A tool for state and local decision making

Health Policy ◽

10.1016/j.healthpol.2008.01.008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 87 (3) ◽

pp. 342-349 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Anke Richter ◽

Katherine A. Hicks ◽

Stephanie R. Earnshaw ◽

Amanda A. Honeycutt

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Hiv Prevention ◽

Local Decision ◽

State And Local ◽

Local Decision Making

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In vitro fertilisation for all?: Local decision making has led to inequality

BMJ ◽

10.1136/bmj.327.7425.1226-d ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 327 (7425) ◽

pp. 1226-d-1226

Author(s):

R. Mathur

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

In Vitro Fertilisation ◽

Local Decision ◽

Local Decision Making

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Social work in municipalities

Journal of Comparative Social Work ◽

10.31265/jcsw.v8i1.94 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 71-94

Author(s):

Rolv Lyngstad

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Social Work ◽

Wide Sense ◽

Professional Discretion ◽

Local Decision ◽

Local Discretion ◽

Specific Meaning ◽

Local Decision Making ◽

Context Specific ◽

The Relationship

The point of departure of this article is contemporary changes in the relationship between national and local decision making in the Norwegian political system. The last decades’ centralization tendencies seem to be challenged by a “new” emphasis on local discretion, and the article discusses how this will affect social work in municipalities. The changes are contested and controversial and allude to questions such as how much discretion should be given to local decision makers in the name of local democracy, and how much difference should be accepted in the name of diversity? The article argues that professional social work must be context-specific, meaning that in a wide sense local knowledge is a prerequisite for good social work. Devolution and local political and professional discretion are necessary in many cases, but not sufficient in themselves as conditions for success. Professional social workers will encounter a lot of difficult dilemmas arousing from issues related to the equality/liberty debate and the diversity/difference/equality debate in social work discourses. In order to approach these dilemmas, more of a focus on local deliberation and place shaping, in combination with a social work focus on democratic professionalism, is necessary. If this is done successfully, devolution and a recapturing of local discretion and decision-making power will empower clients as well as professionals. Thus, current changes in the relationship between different levels of decision making will enlarge the possibilities for professional social work in the municipalities.

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