Research on interpersonal relationship network of pyramid scheme organization based on social network: A case study

Pihu Feng (), Zaiwu Gong () and Duoyong Sun
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Pihu Feng: College of Systems Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410072, P. R. China
Zaiwu Gong: School of Management Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, P. R. China
Duoyong Sun: College of Systems Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410072, P. R. China

International Journal of Modern Physics C (IJMPC), 2019, vol. 30, issue 07, 1-15

Abstract: As a form of organized crime, pyramid scheme has brought huge economic losses to many countries, especially China, and caused serious social problems. How to deeply analyze the structure of pyramid scheme organizations is a necessary topic to explore and combat pyramid scheme organizations. Social network analysis is an effective method to study organized crime. Among them, the motif and exponential random graph models are effective tools for studying organizational microstructure, endogenous process. For the first time, this paper uses the social network analysis to study the interpersonal relationship network of a specific pyramid scheme organization, the typical case of “5.03” in Hunan Province was taken as the research object, and the above model was used for modeling analysis. The results show that the interpersonal relationship network has a sparse density. The microstructure is not a pyramid structure that is generally considered, but presents more ternary closures. Cross-community links, cross-level links between core employees and surrounding employees are less. The pyramid scheme network of interpersonal relationships has obvious homogeneity characteristics.

Keywords: Pyramid scheme; social network; exponential random graph model; motif; interpersonal relationship network (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1142/S0129183119400163

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