Crossing the Aisle and the Balance Theorem: What can we learn?
While learning in lecture about the Structural Balance Property and the Balance Theorem, one contemporary example of a network I thought of which could be split into two groups generally on good internal terms but bad external terms was the US congress. Of course, this network is not perfectly balanced because plenty of congressmembers have good relationships across party lines, but considering how often members of Congress vote with their party, there is certainly a semblance of a Balanced Network. While searching for data to back up my idea, I came across an intriguing article published in The Washington Post, linked below; it is an analysis of political polarization based on how often members of congress physically cross the aisle to go speak with members of the opposite party in the chamber. Physically crossing the aisle, it turns out, is a proxy for political polarization in congress (more polarization = less aisle crossing), and over the last 15 years, it has drastically decreased in frequency. The study was done by analyzing over 1400 hours of CSPAN videos of the voting chamber.
If physically crossing the aisle can be treated as a positive disposition/relationship towards any given member of the opposing party, and generally good relationships between members of the same party are assumed, then Congress begins to take shape as a closed and signed network. Over the last few years, the network has edged towards structural balance, which makes co-sponsoring and passing bills all the more difficult. If something could spur lawmakers to physically cross the aisle more, would the result be less polarization? Or is the trend a reflection, rather than a cause, of the disdain between parties, a theory suggested in the article? Regardless, assessing congress as a closed and signed network quickly reveals truths which may otherwise be less visible. The successful application of the Balance Theory to this network makes me wonder about what other networks it could be applied to, and what the novel analytic lens could offer in terms of new insight.
Link to article mentioned above: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/11/21/members-congress-are-physically-walking-across-aisle-less-often-according-largest-collection-c-span-videos-ever-compiled/?arc404=true