ABSTRACT
Network analysis is a distinct research perspective within the social and behavioral sciences; distinct because network analysis is based on the assumed importance of relationships or interaction among units rather than physical position or personal attributes of units such as race, class, and gender. It emphasizes the importance of relational concepts and processes defined by linkages or ties among multiple units. These relations are a fundamental component of network theories in which actors and their actions are viewed as interdependent rather than independent, autonomous units. The relational ties or linkages between actors are assumed to channel the flow of resources i.e., material or nonmaterials, and represent a structural environment that can provide opportunities for or constraint on individual actions (Monge and Contractor, 2003; Scott, 2000; Wasserman and Faust, 1998).
