ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the concept of networks by looking in more detail at J. K. Friend, J. M. Power and C. J. L. Yewlett ideas, and expanding on them on the one hand by emphasising the differential distribution of control over resources within a network and on the other by referring to the well-developed discussion of social networks in social anthropology. For many working in the public sector on tasks that involve organisational co-ordination, the concept of interpersonal networks formalises their existing perception of their work situation as a web of social relationships. An American author, J. K. Benson, interested in the concept of inter-organisational networks, has attempted to provide this, although from a perspective he refers to as 'political economy'. The chapter aims to relate the discussion from time to time, as Friend, Power and Yewlett do, to the practical side of British local government and in particular to land use planning, in which co-ordination problems are especially acute.
