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Escalation of competition into conflict in competitive networks of Formula One drivers.

ABSTRACT: This article investigates the factors that escalate competition into dangerous conflict. Recent sociological theorizing claims that such escalations are particularly likely in dyads of structurally equivalent people (i.e., actors who have the same relations with the same third parties). Using panel data on Formula One races from 1970 through 2014, we model the probability that two drivers collide on the racetrack (an observable trace of conflict) as a function of their structural equivalence in a dynamic network of competitive relationships. Our main hypothesis, that the likelihood of conflict rises with structural equivalence, receives empirical support. Our findings also show that the positive association between structural equivalence and conflict is neither merely a matter of contention for official position nor an artifact of inherently hostile parties spatially exposed to each other. Our analyses further reveal that this positive association is concentrated in a number of theoretically predictable conditions: among age-similar dyads, among stronger performers, in stable competitive networks, and in safe, rather than dangerous, weather conditions. Implications for future research on conflict, networks, and tournaments are discussed.

SUBMITTER: Piezunka H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5899443 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Escalation of competition into conflict in competitive networks of Formula One drivers.

Piezunka Henning H Lee Wonjae W Haynes Richard R Bothner Matthew S MS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20180326 15

This article investigates the factors that escalate competition into dangerous conflict. Recent sociological theorizing claims that such escalations are particularly likely in dyads of structurally equivalent people (i.e., actors who have the same relations with the same third parties). Using panel data on Formula One races from 1970 through 2014, we model the probability that two drivers collide on the racetrack (an observable trace of conflict) as a function of their structural equivalence in ...[more]

PMID: 29581301

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Dataset Information

Escalation of competition into conflict in competitive networks of Formula One drivers.

Publications

Escalation of competition into conflict in competitive networks of Formula One drivers.

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