Social network analysis for heterodox inquiry

This chapter introduces social network analysis (SNA) as a methodological toolkit for heterodox economics, emphasizing its ability to empirically examine the social embeddedness of economic activity. SNA provides techniques for visualizing and quantifying relationships among individuals, organizations, and institutions, enabling analysis at micro, meso, and macro levels. The chapter outlines data collection strategies, including surveys, archival sources, and digital traces, and addresses ethical and boundary specification issues. Key analytical concepts such as centrality, closure, brokerage, and subgroup detection are discussed, alongside network-level metrics like density and cohesion. Advanced statistical approaches, including permutation-based regression, exponential random graph models, and stochastic actor-oriented models, are introduced for hypothesis testing. By revealing structural patterns and power relations, SNA offers heterodox economists tools to explore dynamics of trust, influence, and resource flows, complementing qualitative and historical approaches.