Multiplex Network Analysis for Complex Governance Systems Using Surveys and Online Behavior

Text analysis, web scraping, and other computational techniques enable policy network researchers to efficiently obtain objective measures of network connections. However, the extent to which these observational methods differ from traditional survey instrument‐based measures remains an open question. Focusing on a large regional policy network of 221 organizations, this study compares a measure of collaboration generated via survey instrument to two different measures based upon internet hyperlinks and Twitter interactions between network actors. We address two questions: (1) To what extent do objective network measures based upon observed online interactions and subjective measures based upon self‐reported relationships reveal the same inter‐organizational partnerships and structural network dynamics? and (2) How useful are online network measures for supplementing survey‐based network measures? We find a significant, but substantively small, correlation between survey‐based measures and online interactions. Thus, online network measures may complement survey‐based measures, but likely reflect different aspects of the overall policy network. We conclude by discussing the potential for multiplex measures of policy networks that draw upon multiple measures to more fully understand policy network landscapes. These results bridge and help to contextualize prior work on policy network measures and virtual policy networks within the broader context of complex governance systems. 摘要 文本分析, 网页抓取, 和其他计算机技术使得政策网络学者们可以有效地获取网络联系的客观测量。然而, 这些观测测量在何种程度上区别于传统的调查工具测量仍是个问题。本文着眼于一个包含了221个组织的大型政策网络, 比较了使用调查工具和基于网络行为者间的网络链接和推特互动对合作的测量。我们解决了两个问题：（1）基于可观测线上互动的客观网络测量和基于自报关系的主观测量在何种程度上揭示了同样的组织间伙伴关系和结构性网络动态？（2）线上网络测量在多大程度上可以补充基于调查的网络测量？我们发现, 基于调查的测量和线上互动的相关性尽管显著, 但却极小。也就是说, 线上网络测量可能补充了基于调查的测量, 但是很可能表现了整体政策网络的不同方面。我们最后以使用多种方法提高对政策网络的全面理解来讨论政策网络多样化测量的潜力。这些结果以之前复杂治理体系下的政策网络测量和政策网络可视化研究为大背景并与之相联系。