Networks analysis of mechanisms

The "new science of networks" has now deep influence in the advancement of our understanding of physical, biological, social, technological, economical and human-built systems. In 2018 -20 years after the seminal work by \citet{Watts_1998} introduced the "small-world" network model- we look back and understand the deep implications such a model has for the study of the dynamic behavior of a system. Regardless of the current excitement about the field, it is important to acknowledge that network science has a long tradition deeply rooted in mathematics \cite{ahuja1995applications}, anthropology and sociology \cite{degenne1999introducing,wasserman1994social}. This is a relevant advantage, positioning network science as a natural framework for establishing truly multi- and trans-disciplinary scientific efforts. This fast-developing field empowers researchers from diverse disciplines with a plethora of options for empirical and conceptual modeling. Thus, any system could be potentially understood by its local structure, component rankings, global connectivity, among others \cite{degenne1999introducing,wasserman1994social}.