International Relations scholars often talk about the "diffusion" of norms, behaviors, security worries, etc. throughout the international system. Foreign aid policy is one such norm -- one that developed, democratic countries often are peer-pressured into sharing. But which countries lead the way in terms of aid commitments? Why Network Analysis? The study of networks in the social sciences has largely been restricted to sociology; however, more recently, other fields such as political science (international relations in particular) have adopted network science as a tool in the study of social phenomena. Networks provide a visually intuitive graphical representation of the multiple connections among numerous actors. Aside from being a visually appealing representation of a network of relationships, network analysis of the international system helps to bring to light (and also account for) the fact that international politics is inherently multilateral . Most analyses in
It seems a question as old as old as time by this point, but its salience grows with each passing moment: "When will China surpass the U.S.?" And this question inevitably is followed by the question: "And what will that mean for Sino-U.S. relations?" Work by a prominent international relations scholar suggests that, within the context of systemic theory, the international system is a product of the simultaneous activities of individual actors (states) whose individual behavior is prompted by the international system. States work to change the system, which results in change, and this change in turn impels a response by the other actors in the system. Systemic theory, therefore, expects states will engage in active and reactive behaviors -- i.e., if country X increases its arms production, this prompts behavior from country Y who desires to maintain a suitable balance of military capabilities between itself and X. X has introduced change to the system by upset