Description
About
SIM – Complex Interaction is an Assignment where you explore how domestic politics and international politics interact in a network model.
Estimated Time
An estimated 4 hours is needed to complete this activity.
What is Complex Interaction?
Complex interaction is how entities interact in direct and indirect ways, one more than one level, and throughout time.
Complex interaction is rooted in the broader concept of complexity. According to WikipediaLinks to an external site.:
“Complexity characterises the behaviour of a system or model whose components interact in multiple ways and follow local rules, meaning there is no reasonable higher instruction to define the various possible interactions.[1]”
“The term is generally used to characterize something with many parts where those parts interact with each other in multiple ways, culminating in a higher order of emergence greater than the sum of its parts. The study of these complex linkages at various scales is the main goal of complex systems theory.”
“Science as of 2010 takes a number of approaches to characterizing complexity; Zayed et al.[2] reflect many of these. Neil Johnson states that “even among scientists, there is no unique definition of complexity – and the scientific notion has traditionally been conveyed using particular examples…” Ultimately Johnson adopts the definition of “complexity science” as “the study of the phenomena which emerge from a collection of interacting objects”.[3]”
Why is Complex Interaction important in International Relations?
In 2015, political scientists Stephen Chaudoin, Helen V. Milner, and Xun Pang wrote “International Systems and Domestic Politics: Linking Complex Interactions with Empirical Models in International Relations.”Links to an external site.International Organization 69 (2): 275–309. In the article Abstract, they write:
“Following older debates in international relations literature concerning the relative importance of domestic versus systemic factors, newer debates emphasize interdependence among states and the complex interactions between systemic and domestic factors. As globalization and democratization advance, theories and empirical models of international politics have become more complicated. We present a systematic theoretical categorization of relationships between domestic and systemic variables. We use this categorization so that scholars can match their theory to the appropriate empirical model and assess the degree to which systemic factors affect their arguments. We also present two advances at the frontier of these empirical models. In one, we combine hierarchical models of moderating relationships with spatial models of interdependence among units within a system. In the other, we provide a model for analyzing spatial interdependence that varies over time. This enables us to examine how the level of interdependence among units has evolved. We illustrate our categorization and new models by revisiting the recent international political economy (IPE) debate over the relationship between trade policy and regime type in developing countries.”
What are models of complex interaction?
In Chaudoin, Milner, and Pang’s peer-reviewed journal articleLinks to an external site., they present six models of complex interaction that can be used to theorize about international relations. Below is a figure for each model, as well as bullet points listing what the symbols in the figure represent.
Independence model
D = Domestic variable
Y = Outcome of interest
Beta D = relationship between D and Y
Direct system effects model
S = Systemic variable
Beta S = relationship between S and Y
Indirect system effects model
Delta = relationship between S and D
Moderating effect of systemic variable model
Gamma 1 = relationship between S and Beta D (aka the relationship between D and Y)
Interdependence model
D2 = 2nd Domestic variable
Y2 = 2nd Outcome of interest
Rho * Omega 12 = relationship between Y1 onto Y2
Rho * Omega 21 = relationship between Y2 onto Y1
Combination model
System variable (S) effects both the Outcome of Interest (Y) and the relationship between the Ds and Ys.
Instructions
Step 1: Select a complex interaction model
Choose a network model that you are most interested in. In your 1st sentence, clearly declare the network model you selected.
Step 2: Explain why you selected a particular complex interaction model
In 5 or more sentences, explain why you selected a particular network model.
