Coupling interaction impairs knowledge and green behavior diffusion in complex networks

Abstract

Knowledge innovation, as a kind of green economic behavior, maximizes its benefits in the process of knowledge diffusion. In previous studies, the impairment or promotion of existing knowledge under different relationships on the diffusion of new knowledge and its mechanism has not been considered. On the basis of epidemic spreading model, knowledge diffusion in complex networks with interaction between two kinds of relevant knowledge is investigated in this article. Here we bridge this theoretical gap by dividing the interaction between two different kinds of knowledge into three types: interdependent, competitive and decoupled. A two-layer multiplex network is constructed to model the dynamic process. Here we assume one of the two kinds of knowledge has diffused to steady state already and pay attention to the impact from the steady knowledge on the diffusing knowledge. We derive the theoretical threshold and conduct numerical simulation of knowledge diffusion dynamic process in homogeneous network, heterogeneous network and a real citation network respectively. Theoretical results suggest that the interaction term from the steady layer is inversely proportional to the diffusion threshold in another layer. Numerical simulation shows that knowledge diffuses easier in heterogeneous networks and nodes with higher degrees. Furthermore, the final knower size of the steady knowledge impacts the diffusing knowledge positively when they are interdependent while interaction impairs both their diffusion compared with decoupled condition. According to the results, before the diffusion of innovative knowledge, the diffusion state of relevant knowledge and the influence of individual who releases innovative knowledge should be fully considered to minimize their suppression on green behavior.