{"title":"Hyper-elite network building in Madagascar: amplification or compensatory strategy?","authors":"Linda Rua, M. Razafindrakoto, F. Roubaud","doi":"10.1093/ser/mwac045","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"\n Research has proved that social networks are unevenly distributed. Qualitative and theoretical work on elite networks raises the question: do they amplify or compensate for inequalities in the powerful other resources? We test these hypotheses using a unique dataset of hyper-elites in Madagascar. We identify three network dimensions: extent, quality and effectiveness. We find that elite groups disadvantaged in terms of social position are generally disadvantaged in terms of social networks. In particular, the caste system is still key to network building at the top. Homophily is the dominant bonding dynamic among elites. However, some compensatory mechanisms are in play. Socially disadvantaged elites tend to make more use of their networks. They also have more upwardly heterophilous potential and mobilized networks. The predominance of the elite network’s amplifying role explains the prevalence of the elite reproduction dynamic. Newcomers, who represent a minority, are excluded from the highest decision-making bodies.","PeriodicalId":47947,"journal":{"name":"Socio-Economic Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2022-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Socio-Economic Review","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ser/mwac045","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Research has proved that social networks are unevenly distributed. Qualitative and theoretical work on elite networks raises the question: do they amplify or compensate for inequalities in the powerful other resources? We test these hypotheses using a unique dataset of hyper-elites in Madagascar. We identify three network dimensions: extent, quality and effectiveness. We find that elite groups disadvantaged in terms of social position are generally disadvantaged in terms of social networks. In particular, the caste system is still key to network building at the top. Homophily is the dominant bonding dynamic among elites. However, some compensatory mechanisms are in play. Socially disadvantaged elites tend to make more use of their networks. They also have more upwardly heterophilous potential and mobilized networks. The predominance of the elite network’s amplifying role explains the prevalence of the elite reproduction dynamic. Newcomers, who represent a minority, are excluded from the highest decision-making bodies.
期刊介绍:
Originating in the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE), Socio-Economic Review (SER) is part of a broader movement in the social sciences for the rediscovery of the socio-political foundations of the economy. Devoted to the advancement of socio-economics, it deals with the analytical, political and moral questions arising at the intersection between economy and society. Articles in SER explore how the economy is or should be governed by social relations, institutional rules, political decisions, and cultural values. They also consider how the economy in turn affects the society of which it is part, for example by breaking up old institutional forms and giving rise to new ones. The domain of the journal is deliberately broadly conceived, so new variations to its general theme may be discovered and editors can learn from the papers that readers submit. To enhance international dialogue, Socio-Economic Review accepts the submission of translated articles that are simultaneously published in a language other than English. In pursuit of its program, SER is eager to promote interdisciplinary dialogue between sociology, economics, political science and moral philosophy, through both empirical and theoretical work. Empirical papers may be qualitative as well as quantitative, and theoretical papers will not be confined to deductive model-building. Papers suggestive of more generalizable insights into the economy as a domain of social action will be preferred over narrowly specialized work. While firmly committed to the highest standards of scholarly excellence, Socio-Economic Review encourages discussion of the practical and ethical dimensions of economic action, with the intention to contribute to both the advancement of social science and the building of a good economy in a good society.