The Politics of Connections: Assessing the Determinants of Social Structure in Policy Networks

This article investigates the role of resource dependence in explaining the social structure of policy networks while controlling for the effects of microstructure, such as the tendency for networks to display reciprocity and/or transitive closure. While previous studies have analyzed resource dependence as a factor in decision making in policy networks, surprisingly little is known about the effects of these social factors on the structure of policy networks due, in part, to the statistical challenges in modeling them precisely. However, the recent development of the exponential random graph model technique, a stochastic method for studying social structure, has made it possible to overcome the statistical hurdles. This study draws on longitudinal data collected from an adult basic education policy network during 1998 and 2005 in a state to which we gave the pseudonym Newstatia. The findings suggest that decreased resource munificence may cause network segmentation and change the composition and nature of relationships among policy network members. These findings confirm our prior expectation that policy network activity and structure is animated by a desire to control resources. In addition, the observed policy network structure is greatly influenced by balancing operations undertaken by resource holders (e.g., legislators and state agencies) and resource seekers (e.g., service providers) and the generic social pressures for reciprocity and transitivity.