Understand a complex world of interconnected agents and learn to model large-scale social behavior.
Network Analysis teaches you how to make sense of a complex world teeming with big systems of interconnected agents. You will learn how to model and predict social behavior at a large scale, without compromising the detailed interaction structures that are increasingly observed in growing datasets. Understanding these complex systems is crucial to construct effective policies that promote economic development in poor and developing regions.
More specifically, we will analyze how social and economic outcomes rely on the shape and structure of networks, and we will design policy recommendations that feed on rich network data to describe the best course of action. Complex Network analysis can be applied to study military alliances, the evolution of pandemics, sexual behavior among adolescents, insurance transfers within villages, road networks and congestion, or Facebook networks of (mis)information, among many other examples that pertain to the field of development economics.
The course combines theoretical/mathematical modeling and manipulation/analysis of social network data, focusing primarily on R as the preferred programming environment. Students will learn innovative concepts, models and algorithms that can be widely applied to different contexts and that provide a comprehensive toolbox to sustain and enrich applied empirical work.
Focusing on specific data sets, students will learn, among other things, how to build and plot graphs from raw data, compute centrality measures, simulate random graph models, and apply and interpret the results of community detection methods. Once these tools have been trained, we will learn how to apply them to recent topics in economic development, paying special attention to the latest field experiments and interventions in this topic. We will also learn about optimal seeding techniques that target policy effectively on complex systems such as real-world networks.
The course targets graduate students and/or professionals with an interest in network data and how it can be used to inform development policy.
This course is designed for:
Participants will:
The course will cover the following topics:
A reading list for each session will be provided at the start of the course.
Surveys:
All BSE Summer courses are taught to the same high standard as our Master’s programs. Join us to:
Network with like-minded peers
Study in vibrant Barcelona
Learn from world-renowned faculty
Thinking of applying? Please check the admissions requirements below.
Summer School applicants normally demonstrate one or more of the following:
Here is your schedule for this edition of BSE Complex Network Analysis: Tools for Economic Development course.
To be eligible for credit transfer, students will be assessed through problem sets given to them during the course.
For more details please refer to the Summer School Admissions page.
Participants who attend more than 80% of the course will receive a Certificate of Attendance, free of charge.
Fees for courses in other Summer School programs may vary. Multiple course discounts are available, consult our fees and discounts to learn more.
* Reduced Fee applies for PhD or Master’s students, Alumni of BSE Master’s programs, and participants who are unemployed.
Need more information? Check out our FAQ section or contact our Admissions Team.
Accommodation is not included in the course fee. Participants are responsible for finding accommodation.
Sessions will NOT be recorded; however, the materials provided by the professor will be available for a month after the course has finished.
Fees for each course may vary. Please consult each course page for accurate information.
Yes, BSE offers a variety of discounts on its Summer School courses. See more information about available discounts or request a personalized discount quote by email.
Yes! you can combine any of the Summer School courses (schedule permitting). See the full course calendar.
Yes, a social dinner is held once a week for all participants, it is free to attend.