Socioeconomic Development and Stability: A Complex Network Blueprint

Complex networks provide flexible and powerful resources for characterizing, modeling and simulating a wide range of real world complex systems. The current work discusses how such a versatile new area can be applied in order to aid economical development and stability at several scales and contexts. The following activities are involved: (a) compilation of several types of data related to socioeconomic development, including several types of transportation systems, availability of human and natural resources, communication and energy networks, climate and geographical features, as well as endemic diseases, to name but a few; (b) representation of such data in terms of multilayer interacting complex networks (cond-mat/0406369) registered geographically; (c) application of traditional and new methods for complex networks characterization and analysis. Such an approach allows the identification of bottlenecks and deficits/surpluses, simulation of system development under varying constraints and perturbations, as well as the application of optimization methods in order to help identify the most effective strategies leading to social and economic wealth and stability. In addition to its practical implications, such an approach also emphasizes several issues of substantial theoretical interest, including the integration of networks of different natures, the interplay between the dynamics of topological and node state evolution, the effects of geographical constraints, community finding, as well as the interesting problem of how to optimize such systems with respect to network topology and dynamics in order to achieve specific objectives expressed by merit figures. The discussed methodology is particularly interesting for applications in developing countries because of the greater potential for economic evolution in such nations. This manuscript also includes a brief review of complex networks approaches to socioeconomics modeling.