Relational event models in network science

Abstract

Relational event models (REMs) for the analysis of social interaction were first introduced 15 years ago. Since then, a number of important substantive and methodological contributions have produced their progressive refinement and hence facilitated their increased adoption in studies of social and other networks. Today REMs represent a well-established class of statistical models for relational processes. This special issue of Network Science demonstrates the standing and recognition that REMs have achieved within the network analysis and networks science communities. We wrote this brief introductory editorial essay with four main objectives in mind: (i) positioning relational event data and models in the larger context of contemporary network science and social network research; (ii) reviewing some of the most important recent developments; (iii) presenting the innovative studies collected in this special issue as evidence of the empirical value of REMs, and (iv) identifying open questions and future research directions.

The role of work psychologists in the development of antiwork sentiments

“…Natural time periods might include the duration of a work project (e.g., developing a product for the market) or simply a literal period of time (e.g., one month). Organizational actors enact processes during/within these time periods (Butts et al, 2023). Hence, the study of people across time periods (e.g., typical longitudinal empirical studies measuring psychological constructs across time) does not, by itself, constitute the study of how people enact processes.…”