A three-dimensional approach to brokerage in networks : Potential applications in STS

This paper introduces a three-dimensional approach for analysing brokerage in social networks that has the potential to open new areas of research in Science and Technology Studies (STS). Brokerage is a fundamental concept in social network analysis, where it refers to situations in which actors bridge otherwise disconnected actors. Such brokerage can have both individual consequences and consequences for the network as a whole. While traditional approaches to brokerage focus primarily on counting brokerage instances, our framework expands this perspective by examining three important dimensions of brokerage—brokerage activity, exclusivity, and diversity—focusing both on different established brokerage roles and in total. This comprehensive approach can provide insights into how knowledge flows, innovations spread, and power dynamics operate within scientific and technological networks.In STS, understanding brokerage can, therefore, be essential for examining how knowledge crosses disciplinary boundaries, how innovations spread throughout research communities, and how certain actors gain influence by controlling information flows. It has been applied in STS, but our three-dimensional framework allows researchers to distinguish between different brokerage patterns that the conventional approach may conflate. For instance, it can differentiate between highly active brokers who connect many otherwise disconnected actors and those who serve as exclusive pathways between specific groups—a crucial distinction when studying gatekeeping in scientific communities.We demonstrate this three-dimensional framework and its applicability with an empirical example of a collaborative governance network of actors mitigating flood risk together. By applying it to STS contexts, researchers may better understand the structural foundations of scientific innovation, disciplinary integration, and knowledge production. The paper contributes to the growing methodological toolkit for network-based research in STS and offers new perspectives on the relational structures underlying scientific and technological development.