Network Theory

Text Networks

by Daniel Selden

Embeddedness through Networks-A Critical Appraisal of the Network Concept in the Oeuvre of Karl-Heinz Ladeur

by Poul F. Kjaer

German Law Journal, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 483-499, April 2009

The concept of “network” has become the most central concept within the work of Karl‐Heinz Ladeur (KHL). It is an... more The concept of “network” has become the most central concept within the work of Karl‐Heinz Ladeur (KHL). It is an omnibus concept which he uses to extrapolate insights at all levels: It is used to provide a general framework at the level of Gesellschaftstheorie (social theory) in the sense that it provides insights into the general structure of society and thereby into the context within which legal processes unfold. At the level of organizational theory it provides a basis for understanding the transformation of organizational structures as it unfolds through the breakdown of hierarchy and the boundaries between the private and the public, just as the network concept plays an important role in its attempt to formulate a legal theory which is adequate for a society which, according to KHL, has become postmodern.
This article seeks to critically examine the function and “added value” of KHL’s network concept in relation to the European integration and constitutionalization process. It is argued that the concept provides a very useful overall framework, but that its usefulness might be enhanced when combined with more concrete studies of the actual function of networks in the EU context, just as the network concept should be more directly combined with an attempt to develop a conceptual framework for the juridification of networks.

Categorical Tensor Network States

by Jacob Biamonte

New Turkish Business Elites: Resources, Networks, Boundaries, and Mobility

by Mustafa Ozbilgin

Sibel Yamak, Ali Ergur, Artun Ünsal, Mustafa Özbilgin and Elif Ünal Çoker (forthcoming) New Turkish Business Elites: Resources, Networks, Boundaries, and Mobility, in Andrew and Nada Kakabadse (eds) Global Elites: The Opaque nature of Transnational Policy Determination, Basingstoke: Palgrave.

In this chapter, we explain how the new Turkish corporate elites mobilise their varied resources in order to seek... more In this chapter, we explain how the new Turkish corporate elites mobilise their varied resources in order to seek integration into the business community through their international, national and local networks. Our findings show that intensive use of economic, social and cultural resources accounts for the success of Turkish elites in navigating their way from local settings to international fluency. We draw upon relational sociology of Bourdieu and network theory of Granovetter in order to frame the theoretical background of our study. We have three main findings: First, local and international networks are more accessible to new business elites than national networks. In order to access national networks new business elites require higher levels of economic capital. Second, new business elites in Turkey do not have elite tastes. In fact, our study demonstrates that the new elites have common rather than refined tastes. This may be explained by the fact that they have only recently joined elites. Finally education has been exceptionally instrumental in allowing new elites to access elite status in Turkey. Significance of education in allowing for class mobility cannot be overstated in the case of Turkey. 

Network Theory and Political Revolution: A Case Study of the Role of Social Media in the Diffusion of Political Revolution in Egypt

by Carrie O'Connell

Working Draft

The main goal of this study is to achieve a qualitative understanding of the scope and shape of the network of... more The main goal of this study is to achieve a qualitative understanding of the scope and shape of the network of political revolution as evidenced by the 2011 Egyptian civic uprisings. In charting the physical map of the information-spreading that occurred through new media platforms during the month-long protests, the foundation for qualitative study of the correlation between the rise and influence of new media, the civil and political engagement of the publics and the success of political revolutions will be achieved. Prompted by the success of 2011 Egyptian uprisings, the author will perform a case study of social unrest in Egypt between January – February, 2011 with specific attention paid to the social media tools used to diffuse information to physically disconnected groups of individuals. The central research questions ask: What are the major hubs, vertically expansive and hierarchically leaderless, of the network of revolution in Egypt and how are these hubs interconnected? Network theory (Watts and Strogatz, 1998; Barabasi, 2002; Galloway and Thacker, 2007; Benkler, 2011; Castells 2011; Castells, Monge and Contractor, 2011) will serve as a framework for understanding how the dispersal of information through virtual networks of communication played a role in facilitating revolution and examine the declining role of hierarchically organized apparatuses of power in a network society.