ABSTRACT
Social network analysis enables researchers to map, analyse and represent patterns of social connections and flows between individuals, groups, organisations, computers and/or websites. It seeks to describe, explain, predict and/or model the structure of relationships among social entities and helps to build an understanding of how interdependence and social networks influence behaviour. Social network analysis is primarily a quantitative method that borrows from graph theory and sociometry. Social network analysis is used in a wide range of disciplines and subject areas, examples of which include environmental governance, health and medicine, health and international development, social psychology, applied criminology, evaluation and the sociology of sport. Examples of research projects that have used, analysed or critiqued social network analysis include research into how small states acquire status; research to identify stakeholders’ influence on energy efficiency of housing in Australia.
