Social Cohesion and Connectivity: Diffusion Implications of Relational Structure

James Moody, Ohio State University

Networks matter, at least in part, because relations that bind collectivities together provide conduits for flows of everything from ideas to diseases. This paper reviews the key relational-structure property that captures social cohesion (node-connectivity), and extends the discussion to group membership. While contemporary work on group membership has focused on participation volume, I show that membership patterns can have dramatic effects on social cohesion independent of the number of organizations people belong to. This distinction allows for increasing community cohesion in the face of decreasing local participation. Implications for diffusion, collective action and dynamic extensions are discussed.