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9 - From Mark S. Granovetter, “The Strength of Weak Ties”

from III - Later Foundations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2021

Edited by
Mario L. Small ,
Brea L. Perry ,
Bernice Pescosolido  and
Edward B. Smith
Mario L. Small
Affiliation:
Harvard University, Massachusetts
Brea L. Perry
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Bloomington
Bernice Pescosolido
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Bloomington
Edward B. Smith
Affiliation:
Northwestern University, Illinois
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Summary

Mark Granovetter’s 1973 “The Strength of Weak Ties” (SWT) is arguably the most influential paper in sociology. The great appeal of SWT is that it links micro-processes to macro patterns, yielding a provocative, non-obvious prediction. While mostly a theory paper combining insights from multiple research areas, he offered primary empirical evidence of SWT from his labor market research on how network processes affect job finding. My goal in this brief review is to assess the current state of knowledge in labor market studies of the SWT. I particularly focus on the progress that has been made toward bolstering the causal status of SWT theory in the labor market context. I highlight three theoretical and empirical challenges that have hampered progress in in this respect: the issue of baselines, the nature of the dependent variable, and the complexity of the causal chain. I conclude by discussing promising avenues for further research in this domain.

Keywords

weak tiesstrong tiesjob findingsocial networksjob contactsjob search networks
Type
Chapter
Information
Personal Networks
Classic Readings and New Directions in Egocentric Analysis
 , pp. 240 - 250
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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