Network of Categories: A Method to Aggregate Egocentric Network Survey Data into a Whole Network Structure
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| Title: | Network of Categories: A Method to Aggregate Egocentric Network Survey Data into a Whole Network Structure |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Mireia Bolíbar (ORCID |
| Source: | Field Methods. 2025 37(2):110-127. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 18 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Measurement Techniques, Data Analysis, Data Collection, Networks, Network Analysis, Surveys, Immigrants, Organizations (Groups), Governance, Foreign Countries |
| Geographic Terms: | France, Germany |
| DOI: | 10.1177/1525822X241262678 |
| ISSN: | 1525-822X 1552-3969 |
| Abstract: | We propose a new method for analyzing and visualizing information on a large collection of personal networks to uncover the socio-centric structure of relationships among aggregated actors that we clustered into categories. The network of categories identifies the links between groups of sampled ego actors sharing a given attribute (e.g., "being immigrant organizations") and abstract attribute-based groups or types of alters (e.g., "any immigrant organization"). This method takes advantage of both whole networks and ego-centered networks analytical approaches since it gains insights into the context's whole network structure while generalizing the results to a wider population. The method can be applied to data obtained through modified versions of instruments such as position or resource generators, which are easy to collect within standard large-N representative surveys. We present a concrete application of the method to the analysis of immigrant organizations' position in local governance networks in 40 French and German cities. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1466740 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | We propose a new method for analyzing and visualizing information on a large collection of personal networks to uncover the socio-centric structure of relationships among aggregated actors that we clustered into categories. The network of categories identifies the links between groups of sampled ego actors sharing a given attribute (e.g., "being immigrant organizations") and abstract attribute-based groups or types of alters (e.g., "any immigrant organization"). This method takes advantage of both whole networks and ego-centered networks analytical approaches since it gains insights into the context's whole network structure while generalizing the results to a wider population. The method can be applied to data obtained through modified versions of instruments such as position or resource generators, which are easy to collect within standard large-N representative surveys. We present a concrete application of the method to the analysis of immigrant organizations' position in local governance networks in 40 French and German cities. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1525-822X 1552-3969 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/1525822X241262678 |
