Investigating preferential attachment behavior over the evolution of disaster response networks

This study aims to understand the mechanisms of disaster response network evolution by quantitatively examining the actors' attachment behaviors in a real disaster collaboration networks. We aim to do this by identifying the characteristic of existing actors and its impact in forming new connection over time. To quantify actors' attachment logics (i.e., preferential attachment), different options of attachments (between and among new and existing actors) are considered. The result indicates the existence of cumulative advantage for actors involved in a response network to a disaster. We argue that by understanding the mechanisms of network evolution, we can predict more precisely how the behavior of actors and network structure evolve over time. This can assist researchers, decision makers or practitioners to manage and support collaboration of actors in their systems for reaching their organizational goals. The overall findings of this study can contribute further to the development of network organizational theory, organizational learning theory and self-organizations in different contexts especially disaster and emergency response management.