This series examines how social networks form, endure, and have consequences for people, groups, organizations, and institutions. The focus on mechanisms signals a fundamental interest in questions of how -- including questions about process, about the precise links between cause and effect, about the attainment of equilibria, and about the dynamics behind influence, diffusion, brokerage, formation, dissolution, mobilization, or other network phenomena. Given this interest, the series aims to publish both quantitative and qualitative studies. In service of those aspirations, the book series combines elements of a peer-reviewed journal with a top university research workshop. The intellectual heart of the series, the Social Network Mechanisms Workshop will bring prominent and emerging researchers anchored on an Editorial Board to discuss proposed manuscripts in a lively, constructive context that we hope not only improves the quality of the final products but also fosters an international intellectual community centered on the study of network mechanisms. In recent years, research on complexity has brought new skills and perspectives to network problems, but often with limited understanding, from sociological, psychological, or management research, of the social processes at play. The series aims to bring an understanding of social network mechanisms to the fore, in the hopes that the books will help inform, while being stimulated by, the larger community of scholars now doing network-related work.
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Personal Networks over Life Course Transitions: Dynamic Perspectivves across Several Surveys -- Claire Bidart, Guillaume Favre, Claude Fischer, Michel Grossetti, Renata Hosnedlova, Miranda Jessica Lubbers, Isidro Maya Jariego, JosŽ Luis Molina, Shira Offer, Christophe Prieur, and Eric Widmer.
Network Leadership: Theory, Evidence, and Cautions -- Martin Kilduff, Ajay Mehra, and Stefano Tasselli Organizational Invention in Renaissance Florence -- John F. Padgett Hidden Cabals and Plots: A Sociology of Online Conspiracy Talk -- Hayagreeva Rao and Henrich Greve Networks and Organizations: A Network Perspective on Formal and Informal Structure -- Giuseppe Soda Workshops are by invitation and run for one hour beginning at noon, Eastern Standard Time. The schedule is ordered by date from future to past. 2024/25 May 9, 2025: Clemens Kroneberg project on the realities of ethnic diversity in German secondary schools, which questions common assumptions on inter-ethnic relations using rich survey data on student networks and identities. (lotsen: Daniel McFarland, Sociology; Jennifer Nelson, Sociology; Mario Small, Sociology) April 4, 2025: William Barley project on the role that process experts play in helping to move knowledge within and across networks of interdisciplinary science teams (lotsen: Gianluca Carnabuci, Social Sciences; Daniel McFarland, Sociology; Jason Owen-Smith, Sociology) March 7, 2025: Miranda Jessica Lubbers multimethod project focuses on the network foundations of societal cohesion. This book explores how broad acquaintanceship networks that connect each person with hundreds of others in society foster trust and collective togetherness. By examining relational cohesion together with ideational cohesion, it offers insights into strengthening societal bonds. (lotsen: Tiziana Casciaro, Business; Betina Hollstein, Sociology; Siobhan OÕMahoney, Business) February 7, 2025: Brayden King project on the potential and limitations of activist ability to transform and change institutions. The book will do a deep dive into various types of institutions that movement activists seek to change (i.e., corporate, legislative, higher education) and explain why they often fall short in accomplishing their ultimate goals in each of these institutional settings. Across institutions, the project shows that activists are quite effective at using influence tactics associated with agenda-setting and persuasion, but they are rather ineffective at wielding institutional power (lotsen: Ron Breiger, Sociology; Jerry Davis, Business; Marya Doerfel, Communication) December 13, 2024: Brian Pentland project on recurrence, observed when nodes and edges are indexed by time, which throws new light on the dynamics of organizing in terms of phenomena such as lock-in, stability, change, drift, innovation, path creation, and transformation (lotsen: Steve Barley, Business; David Krackhardt, Business; Sameer Srivastava, Business) November 1, 2024: Ron Burt and Sonja Opper survey project in which strong bridges provided by guanxi offer a way around the fragility of brokerage (lotsen: Douglas Guilbeault, Communication; Martin Kilduff, Business; James Moody, Sociology) October 4, 2024: Mark Mizruchi second edition of his work on the Fracturing of the American Corporate Elite (lotsen: John Padgett, Sociology; Woody Powell, Sociology; David Stark, Sociology) 2023/24 March 1, 2024: Giuseppe (Beppe) Soda project on the substance and consequences of variable coordination between formal and informal networks (lotsen: Ranjay Gulati, Business; Eric Quintane, Business; Andrew Shipilov, Business) February 2, 2024: Ross M. Stolzenberg archival project on stratification and politics among federal judges in the US (lotsen: Damon J. Phillips, Business; Toby E. Stuart, Business; Ezra W. Zuckerman, Sociology) December 15, 2023: Claire Bidart and Claude S. Fischer et al survey project on how personal networks are shaped by life events (lotsen: Betina Hollstein, Sociology; Emmanuel Lazega, Sociology; Bernice A. Pescosolido, Sociology) November 17, 2023: David Lazer internet project on superspreaders through whom the internet broadens our sources of information at the same time that it narrows the content of information (lotsen: Sandra Gonz‡lez-Bail—n, Sociology; Keith Hampton, Sociology; Dirk Hovy, Linguistics) October 6, 2023: Jennifer Nelson ethnographic project on the formation and use of social networks by minority teachers in majority schools (lotsen: H. Russell Bernard, Anthropology; Claude S. Fischer, Sociology; Ray Reagans, Sociology) 2022/23 May 5, 2023: Paul Leonardi project on the anatomy of vision advantage (lotsen: Gautum Ahuja, Business; Adam Kleinbaum, Business; Bill McEvily, Business) April 14, 2023: John Padgett project on network evolution in Florence (lotsen: Ron Breiger, Sociology; Mark Mizruchi, Sociology; Kate Stovel, Sociology) March 10, 2023: Martin Kilduff, Ajay Mehra, and Stefano Tasselli project on individual and network (lotsen: Ron Burt, Sociology; Gianluca Carnabuci, Social Sciences; Marissa King, Sociology) February 3, 2023: Nosh Contractor and Leslie DeChurch project on assembling the team (lotsen: Steve Barley, Organization Studies; David Lazer, Political Science; Balazs Vedres, Sociology) December 2, 2022: Andreas Wimmer project on the diffusion of cultural ideas (lotsen: Emily Erikson, Sociology; Eiko Ikegami, Sociology; Sameer Srivastava, OB/Sociology) October 14, 2022: Tom Valente project on network interventions in medicine (lotsen: Steve Borgatti, Social Science; Damon Centola, Sociology; Peter Marsden, Sociology) September 9, 2022: Huggy Rao and Heinrich Greve project on the social production of mistrust (lotsen: Paul DiMaggio, Sociology; James Moody, Sociology; Ezra Zuckerman, Sociology)Books Under Contract
Workshop Schedule