The Application of Social Network Analysis to Economic and Regional Development: Tertiary Educational Attainment by Sex and Nuts 2 Regions

Abstract Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a process of investigating the structure of a network. With the contribution of graph theory, it studies the relationships (links) that are established between different units, such as individuals, groups, or organizations (nodes), which are taken as interdependent rather than as autonomous. A social network can be compared to a web, which records the relationships or interactions of people. These networks include the social or professional interactions between units through which information and services are exchanged or contacts are recorded on a systematic basis. In this paper we attempt to introduce SNA in Economic and Regional Development, i.e. to examine the correlation of a regional education statistic indicator between certain regions. Specifically, we study the share of citizens who have completed higher education for the age group 25-64 years by gender and NUTS 2 regions. We present the visualisation of several networks, which are generated based on the degree of correlation of the data, and compute measures of centrality to compare the level of higher education by gender. The aim is to determine whether the application of Social Network Analysis could be an alternative research method in the study of Economic and Regional Development.