Social Networks and Knowledge Spillovers

There has been much discussion about the importance of networks for regional economic development and knowledge dissemination. However, the inflationary use of the notion networks is often based on rather metaphorical, at worst fuzzy meanings. This book explores ways for more rigorous research on knowledge networks, critically discussing quantitative social network analysis. A theoretical framework for meaningful interpretations in quantitative network research is developed. Afterwards, the monograph links social network analysis to research on localised knowledge spillovers. Here the role of communities and networks of knowledge workers is investigated. The book illustrates how social network analysis can provide fruitful perspectives for further research on knowledge flows.

Autorentext
The Author: Franz Huber studied geography and sociology at the University of Salzburg (Austria) with stays at Oxford Brookes University (UK) and Duke University Graduate School (USA). He was external lecturer at the University of Kassel (Germany), the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Zurich (Switzerland) and the University of Salzburg (Austria). Since 2006 he is a PhD student in economic geography at the University of Cambridge (UK) as a Gates Scholar.

Inhalt
Contents: The position of social network analysis within the sociological research tradition Localised knowledge spillovers: theoretical perspectives and critique Communities and networks of knowledge workers, space and social network analysis Perspectives of social network analysis for analysing localised knowledge spillovers.