In this thesis, we extend the concept of null models as canonical ensembles of multi-graphs with given constraints and present new metrics able to characterize real-world layered systems based on... Show moreIn this thesis, we extend the concept of null models as canonical ensembles of multi-graphs with given constraints and present new metrics able to characterize real-world layered systems based on their correlation patterns. We make extensive use of the maximum-entropy method in order to find the analytical expression of the expectation values of several topological quantities; furthermore, we employ the maximum-likelihood method to fit the models to real datasets. One of the main contributions of the present work is providing models and metrics that can be directly applied to real data. We introduce improved measures of overlap between layers of a multiplex and exploit such quantities to provide a new network reconstruction method applicable to multi-layer graphs. It turns out that this methodology, applicable to a specific class of multi-layer networks, can be successfully employed to reconstruct the World Trade Multiplex. Furthermore, we illustrate that the maximum-entropy models also allow us to find the so-called backbone of a real network, i.e. the information which is irreducible to the single-node properties and is therefore peculiar to the network itself. We conclude the thesis moving our attention to a different dataset, namely the scientific publication system. Show less
Reyes, R.C.; Geschke, A.; Koning, A. de; Wood, R.; Bulavskaya, T.; Stadler, K.; ... ; Tukker, A. 2017
How do multinationals respond to political risk? Especially in non-Western countries, foreign investors are frequently confronted with political insecurity. This book takes a close look at the... Show moreHow do multinationals respond to political risk? Especially in non-Western countries, foreign investors are frequently confronted with political insecurity. This book takes a close look at the relationship between multinational corporations and political factors in early twentieth-century China, when political change in this country was highly dramatic. Revolutions and war tore apart many of the traditions of imperial China, and threatened the interests of foreign companies in one of the world's most promising markets. This study focuses on the interests of Dutch firms and their response to political risk in China before the Pacific War. This includes very large corporations that are again active in the Chinese market today, such as Shell, Philips, Unilever, and ABN-Amro. Their behaviour in China up to 1941 is analysed and explained in order to gain a better understanding of the attitude of foreign investors towards political developments during a turbulent and formative phase in Chinese history. Show less
