Comprehending Human Action using Social Networks

Introduction

This proposal consists of three interconnected projects that study how social networks shape the behavior of 1) scientists, 2) politicians, and 3) citizens by using the structure of networks for identification.

Project 1: Social Media and Knowledge Production

The first project investigates how social media networks shape knowledge production in academia. Through a comprehensive dataset of economists and their Twitter activity, the project provides insights into the information acquisition process of scientists and how scientists’ networks impact the direction of science.

Key Focus Areas

The project will examine the causal effect of social media usage on:

• Research output
• Collaboration
• Citation patterns
• Careers

Moreover, the project will highlight inefficiencies in the scientific process that arise through scientific fads and herd behavior.

Project 2: Congressional Staffers and Policy-Making

The second project will generate some of the first large-scale empirical analyses of the role of congressional staffers in the policy-making process. Based on comprehensive data on congressional staffers, their networks, and the activities of congress members, the project will generate groundbreaking insights into the impact of staffers on congressional voting behavior as well as policy priorities.

Methodology

The project will isolate the effect of staffers using a network-based identification strategy that leverages the educational ties of staffers. In this way, the research project will break new ground in the field of political economy by opening the black box of the policy-making process.

Project 3: Social Media Effects in India

The third project focuses on the political effects of social media and the effectiveness of algorithmic interventions by investigating the impact of sharing limits on the social media platform WhatsApp.

Research Objectives

The project will analyze how this change to information flows on a network affects:

• Conflict events
• Beliefs
• Election results in the world's largest democracy: India

The research project thereby addresses a gap in the field of social media research by shedding light on an often-proposed policy intervention.