IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ids/ijcome/v8y2018i3-4p345-369.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How to find a needle in a haystack?: a theory-driven approach to social network analysis of regional energy transitions

Author

Listed:
  • André Schaffrin
  • Tanja Nietgen
  • Benjamin Schrempf

Abstract

Social network analysis bears great potential for the study of complex social transition processes such as regional energy transitions. The complexity of the social processes results from a lack of empirical research, that utilises social network analysis. With this complexity come the difficulties in collecting relevant and sufficient empirical data. In this paper, we propose conceptual framework to select relevant cases, interviewees, and influencing factors for the empirical analysis of complex network dynamics. We base our conceptualisation on mainstream literature on socio-technical levels, phase-models of innovation processes, and social, economic, and political factors influencing the regional energy transition. We apply the case of a local and regional energy transition in a German county. We argue that the conceptual framework serves as a guiding system to a more thorough analysis of social network dynamics within complex social transition processes. It allows formulating hypotheses about different pathways and network dynamics.

Suggested Citation

  • André Schaffrin & Tanja Nietgen & Benjamin Schrempf, 2018. "How to find a needle in a haystack?: a theory-driven approach to social network analysis of regional energy transitions," International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 8(3/4), pages 345-369.
    • Handle: RePEc:ids:ijcome:v:8:y:2018:i:3/4:p:345-369
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=96401
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ids:ijcome:v:8:y:2018:i:3/4:p:345-369. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sarah Parker (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.inderscience.com/browse/index.php?journalID=311 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.