Community detection of agents interacting through regional innovation policies: structures, processes and functions

The detection of communities of agents that interacted over time through regional innovation policies is analyzed through the application of three methodologies: Clique Percolation Method (CPM) by Palla et al. (2005), Infomap by Rosvall and Bergstrom (2008), and Dynamic Cluster Index analysis (DCI) by Villani et al. (2013). In a economic context of analysis centered on such a complex object as innovation, the three methodologies are applied to investigate different specific aspects of community organizations aimed at developing innovative activities. The investigation of relational structures (through CPM), of shared processes (through Infomap) and of integrated behaviors (through DCI analysis) allowed the identification of communities that reveal, respectively, meaningful characterizations in terms of agents’ participations in specific waves of the policy, of agents’ participations in projects operating in particular technological domains, and in terms of agents’ institutional typologies. The case study regards the policy interventions implemented by region Tuscany (Italy) in 2000-2006 with the aim of supporting innovative network projects among local actors.