Decoding the multiplex structure of border region networks: the case of the EU border of Turkey

Abstract

ABSTRACT Border regions have multi-layered and complex network structures consisting of transnational flows with spatial, social and administrative constraints. Despite these constraints, the cross-border relationships formed by the actors of these regions for different purposes create multiplex networks. This study conducts a comparative analysis of flows in border regions by extending the single network approach to a multiplex network approach and carries the subject of the border regions to an interdisciplinary perspective since it covers international relations, governance, local policy, regional concepts, as well as socio-spatial analysis. It contributes to a better understanding of these spatially and administratively bounded regions by developing a framework with two main dimensions: structure of relations and relational patterns. The socio-spatial relations in the external border of the European Union (Greece and Bulgaria) with Turkey are analyzed and the structural features as complex systems are discovered by topological and morphological understanding of complex networks. The findings highlight the significance of the multiplex dynamics of border region networks, which are more than the sum of single layer dynamics and help to better understand complex relations at the aggregate network level.