Nicholas Harrigan  

  Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science

  School of Social Sciences

  Singapore Management University

I work in two overlapping research areas: social networks and the politics of business. 

Coevolution models for large social networks
In the field of social networks my work focuses on developing coevolution models of large networks.  I have developed Coevolution Regression Graph Models (CRGMs), and implemented a program in the statistical package Stata for estimating these models.  This models are one of the few, perhaps only, methods available for systematically obtaining parameterised estimates for the major social mechanisms in huge networked complex systems that contain greater than 1 million actors.  Like exponential random graph models and other coevolution models (such as those in the SIENA package) CRGMs utilise ‘network motifs’ (small sub-graphs of 2 to ~10 nodes, also called ‘network configurations’) to capture local mechanisms common to complex systems, such as reciprocity, feedback, influence, selection and transitivity.  CRGMs are able to estimate coevolution models on very large networks by sampling non-existent ties, avoiding simulation-based estimation techniques, and utilising multiple imputation missing data treatments for addressing the problem of unobserved ordering of events.

For more details on Coevolution Regression Graph Models you can view this extract from a grant application we recently submitted.

Corporate political strategy
I also study the social basis of different, often competing, corporate political strategies.  In particular I study the division between those 'partisan' corporations who strongly support conservative political parties, and those corporations who 'hedge' their support by forming close relationships with both major parties (in two party systems).

In my work on Australia, I have collected a large dataset on the political affiliation, social backgrounds and economic behaviour of the 2000 largest corporations and their 7,500 directors.  As you can see in this presentation, I find that the centres of the corporation community - particularly large corporations, corporations that are regulated by the government, corporations with directors on government boards, and those affiliated with the Business Council of Australia - engage in a 'hedging' strategy, donating to both major parties.  This is an attempt to maintain access to the government irrespective of which party is in power.  This has created a crisis for the conservative political parties.  Conservative 'partisan' political advantage can only be gained from three groups with the business community: smaller corporations, super-wealthy individuals, and directors who are particularly ideologically committed and therefore associated with conservative think tanks.  These trends have lead to very noticeable alliances between conservative parties and the business associations associated with smaller businesses, and the increased influence of a small number of super-wealthy individuals within conservative parties.

 Comments, problems, broken links? Please email me:
nickharrigan@googlemail.com