TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schleussner, Carl-Friedrich
A1  - Donges, Jonathan Friedemann
A1  - Engemann, Denis A.
A1  - Levermann, Anders
T1  - Clustered marginalization of minorities during social transitions induced by co-evolution of behaviour and network structure
JF  - Scientific reports
N2  - Large-scale transitions in societies are associated with both individual behavioural change and restructuring of the social network. These two factors have often been considered independently, yet recent advances in social network research challenge this view. Here we show that common features of societal marginalization and clustering emerge naturally during transitions in a co-evolutionary adaptive network model. This is achieved by explicitly considering the interplay between individual interaction and a dynamic network structure in behavioural selection. We exemplify this mechanism by simulating how smoking behaviour and the network structure get reconfigured by changing social norms. Our results are consistent with empirical findings: The prevalence of smoking was reduced, remaining smokers were preferentially connected among each other and formed increasingly marginalized clusters. We propose that self-amplifying feedbacks between individual behaviour and dynamic restructuring of the network are main drivers of the transition. This generative mechanism for co-evolution of individual behaviour and social network structure may apply to a wide range of examples beyond smoking.
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep30790
SN  - 2045-2322
VL  - 6
SP  - 3407
EP  - 3417
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  -