Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 388
•
Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
978-1-4422-4943-1 • Hardback • March 2016 • $143.00 • (£110.00)
978-1-4422-4944-8 • Paperback • March 2016 • $80.00 • (£62.00)
Daniel Cunningham is associate faculty for instruction in the Defense Analysis Department at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, CA. He is also a research associate in the Defense Analysis Department’s Common Operational Research Environment (CORE) Lab.
Sean Everton is an associate professor in the Department of Defense Analysis and the co-director of the CORE Lab at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, CA.
Philip Murphy is an assistant professor and the director of the Mixed-methods Evaluation and Training (META) Lab at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in the Graduate School of International Policy Studies and a research fellow at the Naval Postgraduate School’s CORE Lab.
List of Figures
List of Tables
Introduction
Part I: Introduction to Social Network Analysis
Chapter 1: Social Networks
Chapter 2: Strategic Options for Disrupting Dark Networks
Chapter 3: Collecting, Coding, and Manipulating Social Network Data
Part II: Exploratory Social Network Analysis
Chapter 4: Topographical Features of Dark Networks
Chapter 5: Detecting Subgroups In Networks
Chapter 6: Identifying Central Actors In Networks
Chapter 7: Brokerage within Networks
Chapter 8: Positional Approaches to Analyzing Networks
Part III: Confirmatory Social Network Analysis
Chapter 9: Digging Deeper and Testing Hypotheses
Chapter 10: More Hypothesis Testing: Using Exponential Random Graph Models (Ergms) To Explain Tie Formation
Chapter 11: Longitudinal Analyses of Dark Networks
Part IV: Conclusion
Chapter 12: Lessons Learned
Appendix 1: Data Description And Codebook
Appendix 2: Glossary of Terms
Appendix 3: Analytic Software
References
Index
About the Authors
Finally! Accessible yet comprehensive, Understanding Dark Networks is a much needed and long overdue guide to analyzing covert, and all other, social networks. This is a must-read for anyone even considering using social network analysis effectively.— Elisa Jayne Bienenstock, college research professor, College of Public Service and Community Solutions, Arizona State University
Cunningham, Everton, and Murphy’s book is most relevant for practitioners, researchers, or anyone seeking to understand dark networks. Practitioners often worry that SNA is difficult to learn and comprehend, but through Cunningham’s easily accessible writing, anyone can understand and apply it after reading this book. Understanding Dark Networks would also have utility for teaching SNA to undergraduates, graduate, postgraduate students in many fields. The early chapters are accessible to anyone, but the last section requires baseline statistical knowledge. Social Network Analysis represents the future of dark network analysis, ranging from jihadist groups to gangs. All intelligence analysts and researchers would see their research value increase with an in-depth understanding of SNA. Understanding Dark Networks should be an essential read for any practitioner or security scholar interested in learning or furthering their knowledge of SNA.
— Small Wars Journal
• Introductory text that explains how social network analysis can be used to craft strategies to track, destabilize, and disrupt dark (i.e. covert or illegal) networks.
• How-to guide written in an accessible, non-technical manner to serve those new to the technique and those who wish to know how to apply it to the study of dark networks.
• Pedagogical features include examples and applications, practical exercises, methodology, case studies, and data sets for practice.
• Each chapter includes a summary, review questions, and further reading suggestions.