Social Network and Occupational Mobility: A Mathematical Model

an article by Oleg Demchenko published in Social Science Quarterly Volume 92 Issue 4 (December 2011)

Abstract

Objectives
This article examines the comparative effectiveness of different types of social ties used by a job seeker and proposes an explanation for the inconsistency in empirical evidence for strength-of-weak-ties hypothesis.

Methods
Granovetter’s strength-of-weak-ties hypothesis predicted that in a job search, weak ties (acquaintances) are a more valuable source of information as compared to strong ties (close friends or relatives). However, subsequent empirical research has provided ambiguous support for this hypothesis. To sort out the conflicting results, a mathematical model of the transmission of job information through a contact network has been constructed. Along with the strength of tie, a widely used characteristic of contact, the model also incorporates the work relation of tie.

Results
The model has numerous implications with strong empirical support, as well as propositions going beyond the findings of prior empirical work, which can be evaluated in subsequent studies. It is shown that the effectiveness of a certain type of contact depends on both the ego’s status (weak and work-related contacts are more advantageous for higher-status workers) and the composition of the ego’s network (work-related contacts promote the effectiveness of weak ties, while strong-tie contacts hinder the effectiveness of work-related ties). In particular, it implies that the inconsistency in empirical evidence for the strength-of-weak-ties hypothesis can be explained by the differences in status or the proportion of work-related contacts in the samples examined.

Conclusion
Work-related ties play a significant role in the analysis of informal job-search methods; their incorporation into the model allows one to account for a number of previously unexplained empirical results.

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