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Entropy and Social Physics

A special issue of Entropy (ISSN 1099-4300). This special issue belongs to the section "Statistical Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 October 2021) | Viewed by 27264

Special Issue Editor

Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
Interests: complex systems; cellular automata; sociophysics; phase transitions; complex networks
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Focus of this Special Issue is to collect original and/or review papers, dealing with applications of statistical physics tools in Social Science.

The subjects of the volume may include, but are not limited to, the following areas: modeling of socio-political systems; crowd, opinion and language dynamics; structural balance; models of crisis and conflicts; social hierarchy and segregation formation; studies of collective and group behaviors; competition and collaboration models; physics of trends, fashions and customers behaviors; big-data based studies of social media, and more.

Theoretical, numerical, agent-based and experimental studies are most welcome.

Dr. Krzysztof Malarz
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Entropy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sociophysics
  • complex systems
  • statistical physics

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 494 KiB  
Article
Hierarchy Depth in Directed Networks
by Krzysztof Suchecki and Janusz A. Hołyst
Entropy 2022, 24(2), 252; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24020252 - 08 Feb 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1386
Abstract
In this study, we explore the depth measures for flow hierarchy in directed networks. Two simple measures are defined—rooted depth and relative depth—and their properties are discussed. The method of loop collapse is introduced, allowing investigation of networks containing directed cycles. The behavior [...] Read more.
In this study, we explore the depth measures for flow hierarchy in directed networks. Two simple measures are defined—rooted depth and relative depth—and their properties are discussed. The method of loop collapse is introduced, allowing investigation of networks containing directed cycles. The behavior of the two depth measures is investigated in Erdös-Rényi random graphs, directed Barabási-Albert networks, and in Gnutella p2p share network. A clear distinction in the behavior between non-hierarchical and hierarchical networks is found, with random graphs featuring unimodal distribution of depths dependent on arc density, while for hierarchical systems the distributions are similar for different network densities. Relative depth shows the same behavior as existing trophic level measure for tree-like networks, but is only statistically correlated for more complex topologies, including acyclic directed graphs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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14 pages, 821 KiB  
Article
Role of Time Scales in the Coupled Epidemic-Opinion Dynamics on Multiplex Networks
by Robert Jankowski and Anna Chmiel
Entropy 2022, 24(1), 105; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24010105 - 09 Jan 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1888
Abstract
Modelling the epidemic’s spread on multiplex networks, considering complex human behaviours, has recently gained the attention of many scientists. In this work, we study the interplay between epidemic spreading and opinion dynamics on multiplex networks. An agent in the epidemic layer could remain [...] Read more.
Modelling the epidemic’s spread on multiplex networks, considering complex human behaviours, has recently gained the attention of many scientists. In this work, we study the interplay between epidemic spreading and opinion dynamics on multiplex networks. An agent in the epidemic layer could remain in one of five distinct states, resulting in the SIRQD model. The agent’s attitude towards respecting the restrictions of the pandemic plays a crucial role in its prevalence. In our model, the agent’s point of view could be altered by either conformism mechanism, social pressure, or independent actions. As the underlying opinion model, we leverage the q-voter model. The entire system constitutes a coupled opinion–dynamic model where two distinct processes occur. The question arises of how to properly align these dynamics, i.e., whether they should possess equal or disparate timescales. This paper highlights the impact of different timescales of opinion dynamics on epidemic spreading, focusing on the time and the infection’s peak. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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9 pages, 2174 KiB  
Article
Archetypal Analysis and DEA Model, Their Application on Financial Data and Visualization with PHATE
by Urszula Grzybowska and Marek Karwański
Entropy 2022, 24(1), 88; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24010088 - 05 Jan 2022
Viewed by 1454
Abstract
One of the goals of macroeconomic analysis is to rank and segment enterprises described by many financial indicators. The segmentation can be used for investment strategies or risk evaluation. The aim of this research was to distinguish groups of similar objects and visualize [...] Read more.
One of the goals of macroeconomic analysis is to rank and segment enterprises described by many financial indicators. The segmentation can be used for investment strategies or risk evaluation. The aim of this research was to distinguish groups of similar objects and visualize the results in a low dimensional space. In order to obtain clusters of similar objects, the authors applied a DEA BCC model and archetypal analysis for a set of companies described by financial indicators and listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The authors showed that both methods give consistent results. To get a better insight into the data structure as well as a visualization of the similarities between objects, the authors used a new approach called the PHATE algorithm. It allowed the results of DEA and archetypal analysis to be visualized in a low dimensional space. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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12 pages, 3677 KiB  
Article
The Downside of Heterogeneity: How Established Relations Counteract Systemic Adaptivity in Tasks Assignments
by Giona Casiraghi, Christian Zingg and Frank Schweitzer
Entropy 2021, 23(12), 1677; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23121677 - 14 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1826
Abstract
We study the lock-in effect in a network of task assignments. Agents have a heterogeneous fitness for solving tasks and can redistribute unfinished tasks to other agents. They learn over time to whom to reassign tasks and preferably choose agents with higher fitness. [...] Read more.
We study the lock-in effect in a network of task assignments. Agents have a heterogeneous fitness for solving tasks and can redistribute unfinished tasks to other agents. They learn over time to whom to reassign tasks and preferably choose agents with higher fitness. A lock-in occurs if reassignments can no longer adapt. Agents overwhelmed with tasks then fail, leading to failure cascades. We find that the probability for lock-ins and systemic failures increase with the heterogeneity in fitness values. To study this dependence, we use the Shannon entropy of the network of task assignments. A detailed discussion links our findings to the problem of resilience and observations in social systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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14 pages, 1404 KiB  
Article
Characterizing Topics in Social Media Using Dynamics of Conversation
by James Flamino, Bowen Gong, Frederick Buchanan and Boleslaw K. Szymanski
Entropy 2021, 23(12), 1642; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23121642 - 07 Dec 2021
Viewed by 2101
Abstract
Online social media provides massive open-ended platforms for users of a wide variety of backgrounds, interests, and beliefs to interact and debate, facilitating countless discussions across a myriad of subjects. With numerous unique voices being lent to the ever-growing information stream, it is [...] Read more.
Online social media provides massive open-ended platforms for users of a wide variety of backgrounds, interests, and beliefs to interact and debate, facilitating countless discussions across a myriad of subjects. With numerous unique voices being lent to the ever-growing information stream, it is essential to consider how the types of conversations that result from a social media post represent the post itself. We hypothesize that the biases and predispositions of users cause them to react to different topics in different ways not necessarily entirely intended by the sender. In this paper, we introduce a set of unique features that capture patterns of discourse, allowing us to empirically explore the relationship between a topic and the conversations it induces. Utilizing “microscopic” trends to describe “macroscopic” phenomena, we set a paradigm for analyzing information dissemination through the user reactions that arise from a topic, eliminating the need to analyze the involved text of the discussions. Using a Reddit dataset, we find that our features not only enable classifiers to accurately distinguish between content genre, but also can identify more subtle semantic differences in content under a single topic as well as isolating outliers whose subject matter is substantially different from the norm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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8 pages, 517 KiB  
Article
Structural Balance of Opinions
by Malgorzata J. Krawczyk and Krzysztof Kułakowski
Entropy 2021, 23(11), 1418; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23111418 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1228
Abstract
The concept of Heider balance, usually applied to interpersonal relations, is generalized here to opinions gathered in surveys. At first, we compare four algorithms, which drive a matrix dataset to a balanced state. The criterion is that the final state obtained with an [...] Read more.
The concept of Heider balance, usually applied to interpersonal relations, is generalized here to opinions gathered in surveys. At first, we compare four algorithms, which drive a matrix dataset to a balanced state. The criterion is that the final state obtained with an algorithm should be as close as possible to the initial state. The result is that deterministic differential equations work better than their Monte Carlo counterparts. Next, we apply the winning algorithms to the matrix of correlations between opinions gathered in American states between 1974 and 1998. The results are interpreted in terms of the classic comfort hypothesis (E. Babbie, 2007). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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11 pages, 1450 KiB  
Article
The Spread of Ideas in a Network—The Garbage-Can Model
by Dorota Żuchowska-Skiba, Maria Stojkow, Malgorzata J. Krawczyk and Krzysztof Kułakowski
Entropy 2021, 23(10), 1345; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23101345 - 14 Oct 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1649
Abstract
The main goal of our work is to show how ideas change in social networks. Our analysis is based on three concepts: (i) temporal networks, (ii) the Axelrod model of culture dissemination, (iii) the garbage can model of organizational choice. The use of [...] Read more.
The main goal of our work is to show how ideas change in social networks. Our analysis is based on three concepts: (i) temporal networks, (ii) the Axelrod model of culture dissemination, (iii) the garbage can model of organizational choice. The use of the concept of temporal networks allows us to show the dynamics of ideas spreading processes in networks, thanks to the analysis of contacts between agents in networks. The Axelrod culture dissemination model allows us to use the importance of cooperative behavior for the dynamics of ideas disseminated in networks. In the third model decisions on solutions of problems are made as an outcome of sequences of pseudorandom numbers. The origin of this model is the Herbert Simon’s view on bounded rationality. In the Axelrod model, ideas are conveyed by strings of symbols. The outcome of the model should be the diversity of evolving ideas as dependent on the chain length, on the number of possible values of symbols and on the threshold value of Hamming distance which enables the combination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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13 pages, 1950 KiB  
Article
Wealth Rheology
by Zdzislaw Burda, Malgorzata J. Krawczyk, Krzysztof Malarz and Malgorzata Snarska
Entropy 2021, 23(7), 842; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23070842 - 30 Jun 2021
Viewed by 1618
Abstract
We study wealth rank correlations in a simple model of macroeconomy. To quantify rank correlations between wealth rankings at different times, we use Kendall’s τ and Spearman’s ρ, Goodman–Kruskal’s γ, and the lists’ overlap ratio. We show that the dynamics of [...] Read more.
We study wealth rank correlations in a simple model of macroeconomy. To quantify rank correlations between wealth rankings at different times, we use Kendall’s τ and Spearman’s ρ, Goodman–Kruskal’s γ, and the lists’ overlap ratio. We show that the dynamics of wealth flow and the speed of reshuffling in the ranking list depend on parameters of the model controlling the wealth exchange rate and the wealth growth volatility. As an example of the rheology of wealth in real data, we analyze the lists of the richest people in Poland, Germany, the USA and the world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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17 pages, 2324 KiB  
Article
Overlapping Community Detection Based on Attribute Augmented Graph
by Hanyang Lin, Yongzhao Zhan, Zizheng Zhao, Yuzhong Chen and Chen Dong
Entropy 2021, 23(6), 680; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23060680 - 28 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2207
Abstract
There is a wealth of information in real-world social networks. In addition to the topology information, the vertices or edges of a social network often have attributes, with many of the overlapping vertices belonging to several communities simultaneously. It is challenging to fully [...] Read more.
There is a wealth of information in real-world social networks. In addition to the topology information, the vertices or edges of a social network often have attributes, with many of the overlapping vertices belonging to several communities simultaneously. It is challenging to fully utilize the additional attribute information to detect overlapping communities. In this paper, we first propose an overlapping community detection algorithm based on an augmented attribute graph. An improved weight adjustment strategy for attributes is embedded in the algorithm to help detect overlapping communities more accurately. Second, we enhance the algorithm to automatically determine the number of communities by a node-density-based fuzzy k-medoids process. Extensive experiments on both synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate that the proposed algorithms can effectively detect overlapping communities with fewer parameters compared to the baseline methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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21 pages, 3608 KiB  
Article
Functional Interdependence in Coupled Dissipative Structures: Physical Foundations of Biological Coordination
by Benjamin De Bari, Alexandra Paxton, Dilip K. Kondepudi, Bruce A. Kay and James A. Dixon
Entropy 2021, 23(5), 614; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23050614 - 15 May 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2473
Abstract
Coordination within and between organisms is one of the most complex abilities of living systems, requiring the concerted regulation of many physiological constituents, and this complexity can be particularly difficult to explain by appealing to physics. A valuable framework for understanding biological coordination [...] Read more.
Coordination within and between organisms is one of the most complex abilities of living systems, requiring the concerted regulation of many physiological constituents, and this complexity can be particularly difficult to explain by appealing to physics. A valuable framework for understanding biological coordination is the coordinative structure, a self-organized assembly of physiological elements that collectively performs a specific function. Coordinative structures are characterized by three properties: (1) multiple coupled components, (2) soft-assembly, and (3) functional organization. Coordinative structures have been hypothesized to be specific instantiations of dissipative structures, non-equilibrium, self-organized, physical systems exhibiting complex pattern formation in structure and behaviors. We pursued this hypothesis by testing for these three properties of coordinative structures in an electrically-driven dissipative structure. Our system demonstrates dynamic reorganization in response to functional perturbation, a behavior of coordinative structures called reciprocal compensation. Reciprocal compensation is corroborated by a dynamical systems model of the underlying physics. This coordinated activity of the system appears to derive from the system’s intrinsic end-directed behavior to maximize the rate of entropy production. The paper includes three primary components: (1) empirical data on emergent coordinated phenomena in a physical system, (2) computational simulations of this physical system, and (3) theoretical evaluation of the empirical and simulated results in the context of physics and the life sciences. This study reveals similarities between an electrically-driven dissipative structure that exhibits end-directed behavior and the goal-oriented behaviors of more complex living systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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26 pages, 6292 KiB  
Article
Diffusive Resettlement: Irreversible Urban Transitions in Closed Systems
by Bohdan Slavko, Mikhail Prokopenko and Kirill S. Glavatskiy
Entropy 2021, 23(1), 66; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23010066 - 02 Jan 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2304
Abstract
We propose a non-equilibrium framework for modelling the evolution of cities, which describes intra-urban migration as an irreversible diffusive process. We validate this framework using the actual migration data for the Australian capital cities. With respect to the residential relocation, the population is [...] Read more.
We propose a non-equilibrium framework for modelling the evolution of cities, which describes intra-urban migration as an irreversible diffusive process. We validate this framework using the actual migration data for the Australian capital cities. With respect to the residential relocation, the population is shown to be composed of two distinct groups, exhibiting different relocation frequencies. In the context of the developed framework, these groups can be interpreted as two components of a binary fluid mixture, each with its own diffusive relaxation time. Using this approach, we obtain long-term predictions of the cities’ spatial structures, which define their equilibrium population distribution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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11 pages, 814 KiB  
Article
Coupled Criticality Analysis of Inflation and Unemployment
by Zahra Koohi Lai, Ali Namaki, Ali Hosseiny, Gholamreza Jafari and Marcel Ausloos
Entropy 2021, 23(1), 42; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23010042 - 30 Dec 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2807
Abstract
In this paper, we focus on the critical periods in the economy that are characterized by unusual and large fluctuations in macroeconomic indicators, like those measuring inflation and unemployment. We analyze U.S. data for 70 years from 1948 until 2018. To capture their [...] Read more.
In this paper, we focus on the critical periods in the economy that are characterized by unusual and large fluctuations in macroeconomic indicators, like those measuring inflation and unemployment. We analyze U.S. data for 70 years from 1948 until 2018. To capture their fluctuation essence, we concentrate on the non-Gaussianity of their distributions. We investigate how the non-Gaussianity of these variables affects the coupling structure of them. We distinguish “regular” from “rare” events, in calculating the correlation coefficient, emphasizing that both cases might lead to a different response of the economy. Through the “multifractal random wall” model, one can see that the non-Gaussianity depends on time scales. The non-Gaussianity of unemployment is noticeable only for periods shorter than one year; for longer periods, the fluctuation distribution tends to a Gaussian behavior. In contrast, the non-Gaussianities of inflation fluctuations persist for all time scales. We observe through the “bivariate multifractal random walk” that despite the inflation features, the non-Gaussianity of the coupled structure is finite for scales less than one year, drops for periods larger than one year, and becomes small for scales greater than two years. This means that the footprint of the monetary policies intentionally influencing the inflation and unemployment couple is observed only for time horizons smaller than two years. Finally, to improve some understanding of the effect of rare events, we calculate high moments of the variables’ increments for various q orders and various time scales. The results show that coupling with high moments sharply increases during crises. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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9 pages, 1044 KiB  
Article
Market of Stocks during Crisis Looks Like a Flock of Birds
by Bahar Afsharizand, Pooya H. Chaghoei, Amirhossein A. Kordbacheh, Andrey Trufanov and Golamreza Jafari
Entropy 2020, 22(9), 1038; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e22091038 - 17 Sep 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2540
Abstract
A crisis in financial markets can be considered as a collective behaviour phenomenon. The collective behaviour is a complex behaviour which exists among a group of animals. The Vicsek model has been adapted to represent this complexity. A unique phase space has been [...] Read more.
A crisis in financial markets can be considered as a collective behaviour phenomenon. The collective behaviour is a complex behaviour which exists among a group of animals. The Vicsek model has been adapted to represent this complexity. A unique phase space has been introduced to represent all possible results of the model. The return of the transaction volumes versus the return of the closed price of each share has been used within the defined phase space. The findings show that the direction of the resultant velocity vectors of all share in this phase space act in the same direction when the financial crisis happens. By monitoring the market’s collective behaviour, it will be possible to gain more knowledge about the condition of the market days in crisis. This research aims to investigate the collective behaviour of stocks using the Vicsek model to study the condition of the market during the days in crisis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entropy and Social Physics)
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