2: micro questions about inequality and mobility

Question 1

Granovetter Strength of weak ties (1973):

Answer 1

Strength of the ties, no matter who (household to acquaintances)

Question 2

Strength of ties could be related to (4):

Answer 2

1. Diffusion of information
2. Social mobility (the way people get information about other jobs)
3. Political organization
4. Social cohesion is general

Question 3

Tie strength(4): (linear)

Answer 3

1. Amount of time
2. Emotional intensity
3. The intimacy (mutual confiding)
4. Reciprocal services

Question 4

Social capital - implicit (Granovetter 1973)

Answer 4

• Network
• Trust
• Reciprocity

Question 5

How do people find a job?

Answer 5

• Via what social relations/what kind of social capital
• Macro = position on labour market switches
• Micro = motives for occupational changes
• How do people het info on new jobs?

Question 6

Hypothesis 1

Answer 6

• The stronger the tie between a and b the larger the proportion of individuals in S to whom they will both be tied, that is, connected by a weak or strong tie. This overlap in their friendship circles are predicted to be least when their tie is absent most when it is strong and intermediate when it is weak.
• Based on: Time investment, similarity, cognitive balance (trust and reciprocity)
• Forbidden triads abc cant all be strong 1 is weak but strong does exist

Question 7

Bridges

Answer 7

• A line in a network which provides the only (direct) path between two points
• Sharing info
• Burt also specifies the important role
• No strong tie is a bridge (Granovetter)

Question 8

Importance of weak ties:

Answer 8

• Removal of just a few of these connections (weak ties) damages the network more than removal of strong ties because it reduced knowledge transmission
• New info is more useful

Question 9

Blue collar workers positives

Answer 9

• They receive crucial information from individuals whose very existence they have forgotten
• Job close to the source

Question 10

Conclusion Granovetter

Answer 10

• Weak ties important for mobility opportunity
• Strong ties breeding local cohesion lead to overall fragmentation
• Supported but not through rigorous testing

Question 11

Rajkumar (2022): A causal test of the strength of weak ties

Answer 11

1. Strength of weak ties is nonlinear (inverted U-shape tie strength and job transmission.
2. Varying effects for weak ties measured by interaction intensity and number of mutual connections
3. Strength of weak ties varies by industry

Question 12

Burt (2004)

Answer 12

1. Weak ties
2. Link to granovetter -> people IN but also BETWEEN networks
3. Brokerage positions
4. Focus on WITHIN group, this results in structural gaps in information flow between groups

Question 13

Brokerage positions

Answer 13

Brokers (people in a brokerage position) stand at the intersection of social worlds. Thus, they create value by bridging them.