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Research On Structural Holes: An Assessment On Measurement Issues

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  • Laurence Saglietto
  • Cécile Cézanne
  • Delphine David

Abstract

Social capital theory generally analyses network structures by focusing on the connections between players. However, it has been suggested by several authors that the absence of relations in a network or ‘structural holes’ is meaningful. The aim of our paper is to provide a global survey and appraisal of the academic research on structural holes and discuss its main measurements. We adopt a bibliometric approach and identify a typology of practices, developments, and issues related to structural holes. We highlight a strand of work on operationalization of structural holes, and discuss the various measures they propose. We provide numerical examples emphasizing the respective advantages and limitations of the studied measures. Based on our results, we propose a guide to using existing measures of structural holes according to the type (simple or complex) of network.

Suggested Citation

  • Laurence Saglietto & Cécile Cézanne & Delphine David, 2020. "Research On Structural Holes: An Assessment On Measurement Issues," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 572-593, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jecsur:v:34:y:2020:i:3:p:572-593
    DOI: 10.1111/joes.12371
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    1. Zhang, Qiang & Pu, Shunhao & Luo, Lihua & Liu, Zhichao & Xu, Jie, 2022. "Revisiting important ports in container shipping networks: A structural hole-based approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 239-248.

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