Network Effects of Demographic Transition.
Tamas David-Barrett1,2,3,4
1Universidad del Desarrollo, Facultad de Gobierno, CICS, Av. Plaza 680, San Carlos de Apoquindo, Las Condes, Santiago de Chile, 7610658, Chile. tamas.david-barrett@trinity.ox.ac.uk.
Scientific Reports
|February 22, 2019
Summary
Demographic transition reduces kin networks and slows reputation spread, weakening social cooperation mechanisms. This shift impacts social structures and the evolution of institutions.
Area of Science:
- Social network analysis
- Evolutionary sociology
- Demographic studies
Background:
- Traditional societies rely on kin selection and reputation dynamics within clustered networks to mitigate free-riding.
- These cooperative mechanisms are predicated on the presence of relatives and dense social connections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how social networks change during demographic transition.
- To analyze the impact of falling fertility and increasing population size on social clustering and reputation spread.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of social network structures during demographic transition.
- Modeling the effects of reduced fertility and increased group size on network clustering and information diffusion.
Main Results:
- Falling fertility leads to fewer relatives and replacement by non-kin, decreasing social network clustering.
- Increasing population size further compounds the decrease in network clustering.
- Both reduced fertility and larger groups slow down the speed of reputation spread within the network.
Conclusions:
- Demographic transition weakens kin selection and reputation dynamics, challenging traditional cooperation mechanisms.
- Altered social network structures provide new insights into the origins of legal institutions, urbanization, and friendship patterns.
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