What binds us when with whom? Content and structure in social network analysis
Year: 2004
Type: book
Abstract: I first introduce the reader to the concept of social capital and the different exchange approaches in social network analysis. Exchange approaches make explicit that there is always both cooperation and competition in and between relationships as well as between networks. Subsequently I review a number of social network studies that are focused on the role of social networks in production. I conclude that there is at present very strong evidence that social networks matter in production and the formation of norms and trust. The arguments are predominantly structural, however, and content plays a subordinate role. In addition, we have extensive social network research on the different types of network exchanges, but their importance can only be understood if they are studied in relation to each other. Again, this has not been done. In order to link different types of network exchanges, I argue that it is necessary to give analytic primacy to goals that cannot be realized in isolation and thus lead to joint production and sharing. These are goals not only in the context of material gain, but also hedonic (‘feeling good’) and normative goals (‘behaving appropriately’). What we need is a heuristic to select the combination of processes and corresponding ties that matter in the given setting. It implies reflection on what is produced by which network under which structural conditions and why. The heuristic is subsequently presented and applied in two completely different contexts. In the first illustration it is shown that the heuristic places collective decision making outcomes in the perspective of joint production and leads to fundamentally new perspectives in collective decision making and policy networks research. Whereas that illustration lies primarily in the context of material gains, the next illustration is chosen in the context of hedonic gains to be obtained from friendship relationships. The two applications aim to show as well how game theory, computer simulation, and statistical methods are important modern tools for social network analysis, depending on the context of the network research.
Author: Frans N. Stokman
Language: English
Topic: Social Capital and Networks
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1606236931