Choosing Your Neighbors: Networks of Diffusion in International Relations

Choosing Your Neighbors: Networks of Diffusion in International Relations

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Choosing Your Neighbors: Networks of Diffusion in International Relations

dc.contributor.author	Zhukov, Yuri, M.
dc.contributor.author	Stewart, Brandon Michael
dc.date.accessioned	2011-09-26T16:29:41Z
dc.date.issued	2011-09-26
dc.identifier.citation	Zhukov, Yuri M. and Brandon M Stewart. Forthcoming. Choosing your neighbors: Networks of diffusion in international relations. International Studies Quarterly.	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0020-8833	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:5142122
dc.description.abstract	In examining the discussion of social and political phenomena like regime transition, conflict, and policy change, scholars routinely make choices about how proximity is defined and which neighbors should be considered more important than others. Since each specification offers an alternative view of the networks through which discussion can take place, one's decision can exert a significant influence on the magnitude and scope of estimated discussion effects. This problem is widely recognized, but is rarely the subject of direct analysis. In international relations research, connectivity choices are usually ad hoc, driven more by data availability than by theoretically informed decision criteria. We take a closer look at the assumptions behind these choices, and propose a more systematic method to asses the structural similarity of two or more alternative networks, and select one that most plausibly relates theory to empirics. We apply this method to the spread of democratic regime change, and offer an illustrative example of how neighbor choices might impact predictions and inferences in the case of the 2011 Arab Spring.	en_US
dc.description.sponsorship	Government	en_US
dc.description.sponsorship	Sociology	en_US
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.publisher	Wiley-Blackwell	en_US
dc.relation.isversionof	http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=0020-8833	en_US
dash.license	OAP
dc.title	Choosing Your Neighbors: Networks of Diffusion in International Relations	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article	en_US
dc.date.updated	2011-09-08T01:39:35Z
dc.description.version	Accepted Manuscript	en_US
dc.relation.journal	International Studies Quarterly	en_US
dash.depositing.author	Stewart, Brandon Michael
dc.date.available	2011-09-26T16:29:41Z