Political Networks: The Structural Perspective (Structural Analysis in the Social Sciences, Series Number 4) - Softcover

Knoke, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 052147762X ISBN 13: 9780521477628

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1994

Synopsis

This book examines almost two decades of research using the structural or network approach to political behavior. Network analysis begins with the assumption that the most important elements of political power are the relationships of influence and domination among social actors. Influence is the exchange of information about preferences and intentions; domination is the exchange of material sanctions to reward or punish compliance with commands. By examining the confluence of these two networks, analysts can develop a structural picture of the political process. David Knoke provides an overview of the work already done in the structural analysis of politics and the directions it will take in the future. Topics covered include voting decisions, social movements, formal organizations, community power systems, national elites and the world system of nation-states. Theoretical conceptualizations, empirical findings and topical research agendas are discussed in each of these areas.

About this title

Book Description

Network analysis begins with the assumption that the most important elements of political power are the relationships of influence and domination among social actors. By examining the confluence of the two, analysts can develop a structural picture of the political process.

Review

"This is a worthy addition to the fine series, Structural Analysis in the Social Sciences....The prose is clear and nontechnical, the substance sophisticated....The book is a natural addition to graduate or advanced undergraduate politics syllabi and will be useful for introducing network analysis in organizations classes." Paul DiMaggio, ASQ

"David Knoke's Political Networks is...about political processes as they occur within polities, social movements, organizations, communities, national elites, and among nation-states. By defining the scope of his work in this way, Knoke is able to integrate a staggeringly large portion of the recent research on each of these 'experimental animals,'...and closely to show the connections between this work and fundamental theoretical and methodological issues. I know of no other recent book in the social sciences which does this with as much clarity, verve, style, and wit." Contemporary Sociology

"This is a worthy addition to the fine series, Structural Analysis in the Social Sciences....The prose is clear and nontechnical, the substance sophisticated." Administrative Science Quarterly

"...Knoke's book fills an important gap in the political science literature by presenting the network concept as part of a coherent theoretical perspective....Knoke's book deserves a wide audience among theoretically oriented political scientists." American Political Science Review

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 052147762X
• ISBN 13: 9780521477628
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 308