Recently physicists have extended ideas of atoms and lattices to more generalized concepts of agents and networks and are facilitating new understanding of systems traditionally the province of other disciplines. Applications include, for example, competition between firms, mergers and acquisitions, evolutionary dynamics, cultural change and transportation networks. Set to undergo a renaissance in the 21st century, the area of complexity, rooted in statistical physics and probability theory is at the core of these developments. More understanding in these areas will provide routes to greater social stability and economic well-being across an increasingly networked world. This Action will promote discussion and research. The Action will also provide a platform from which the participating researchers can develop important, new and substantial research initiatives aimed at tackling these key trans-disciplinary issues. Overall the Action will provide a unique forum for physicists and mathematical scientists to share leading-edge knowledge, experience and build up a common language with economists, social scientists, industry and government. A management committee will coordinate meetings and workshops. A small executive sub-group will assess and approve short term scientific missions.

For more details see the ESF web and the project web

We will explore the structure and robustness of networks under different types of threats and under different degrees of decision making power for nodes in the network. These issues will be addressed in the context of specific problems in economy and ecology, as detailed below, making our proposal relevant to the design and control of complex systems. The common perspective of complex networks and the formal representation of threats and decision making allows for cross-fertilization between both fields of application as well as for insights relevant to other contexts.

The main deliverables of the project are the following:

• Economics 1: A characterisation of efficient network design strategies in the face of attacks.
• Economics 2: A comprehensive understanding of decentralized protection strategies.
• Economics 3: An analysis of the robustness-contagion balance in financial networks.
• Ecology 1: An integrated model and description of arid ecosystem collapse.
• Ecology 2: Targeted strategies in restoration ecology, applied to desertification in Iberia.