Diversity and Inclusion Index with Networks and Similarity: Analysis and its Application

Abstract: In recent years, the concepts of diversity'' andinclusion'' have attracted considerable attention across a range of fields, encompassing both social and biological disciplines. To fully understand these concepts, it is critical to not only examine the number of categories but also the similarities and relationships among them. In this study, I introduce a novel index for diversity and inclusion that considers similarities and network connections. I analyzed the properties of these indices and investigated their mathematical relationships using established measures of diversity and networks. Moreover, I developed a methodology for estimating similarities based on the utility of diversity. I also created a method for visualizing proportions, similarities, and network connections. Finally, I evaluated the correlation with external metrics using real-world data, confirming that both the proposed indices and our index can be effectively utilized. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of diversity and inclusion analysis.