Network structures and network effects across management and policy contexts: A systematic review
| Published date | 01 September 2023 |
| Author | Qian Hu,Alejandra Medina,Michael D. Siciliano,Weijie Wang |
| Date | 01 September 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12835 |
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Network structures and network effects across
management and policy contexts: A systematic
review
Qian Hu
1
| Alejandra Medina
2
| Michael D. Siciliano
2
|
Weijie Wang
3
1
School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
2
Public Administration, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
3
Truman School of Government and Public Affairs, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
Correspondence
Qian Hu, School of Public Administration,
University of Central Florida, Orlando,
FL 32801, USA.
Email: qian.hu@ucf.edu
Abstract
The wide application of networks in public administration
has been driven by the practical need to address increas-
ingly complex management and policy problems. To under-
stand the outcomes of network structures, we reviewed
empirical network research and examined the effects of six
network structural properties across the five most studied
policy domains. We found that certain structural properties
such as global connectedness were consistently associated
with positive network effects. Other structures such as bro-
kerage/structural holes provided mixed findings, depending
on the policy domain. Overall, our field is still in the early
stages of developing research on network effects. The num-
ber of hypotheses on both node-level and system-level
effects in any policy domain was relatively small. Most stud-
ies focused only on a single network at a single point in
time, and thus very little work currently exists that examines
the influence of contextual factors and their combined
effects with network structures.
在解决日趋复杂的公共管理以及政策问题的实践中，网络治
理得到了日益广泛的应用。为了深入理解不同网络结构的效
应，我们系统回顾和梳理了实证类网络研究的文献，重点
关注六种网络结构在五大管理和政策领域中应用的绩效和
成果。我们发现一些网络结构特征，例如网络整体的链接
Received: 10 July 2021 Revised: 6 January 2022 Accepted: 12 January 2022
DOI: 10.1111/padm.12835
Public Admin. 2023;101:953–972. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/padm © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 953
程度与正的网络效应相关。而其他例如结构洞等网络结构
特征在不同的政策领域中产生的效应不一。当前，公共管
理领域仍然处在对于网络结构效果研究的初级阶段。在各
个公共管理或政策领域中，对于网络中个体层面或者系统
层次的网络效应的相关假设数量较少。大多数研究关注网
络结构在某一一个时间节点的状况，而较少有研究关注环
境因素如何与网络结构互动引起的效应。
1|INTRODUCTION
The scale and complexity of many policy and management problems such as climate change and the COVID-19 pan-
demic require different levels of government and various sectors to collaborate. No single actor has the authority or
resources to address such expansive challenges. Consequently, networks are an inevitable phenomenon in modern-
day governance. In a broad structural sense, networks consist of nodes or actors and the ties that connect them.
Nodes can be individuals, teams, work units, organizations, communities, regions, or countries. Ties cover a wide
range of relationships, including information flow, resource exchange, contractual arrangements, and other forms of
interaction (Borgatti et al., 2018; Brass et al., 2004). In public administration and policy, networks are often examined
as interorganizational arrangements for accomplishing goals or as a form of governance that differs from hierarchical
authorities (Agranoff & McGuire, 2001; Isett et al., 2011; Koliba et al., 2019). Relying on interdependent relationships
among actors, well-functioning networks can integrate and improve public service delivery, facilitate timely commu-
nication, promote learning and innovation, and foster coordination and collaboration across a wide range of manage-
ment and policy domains (Kapucu & Hu, 2020; Siciliano et al., 2021).
Networks, however, do not always deliver the intended outcomes. Consequently, network researchers and prac-
titioners have become increasingly interested in understanding how structural patterns of relationships influence
individual actors and the network as a whole. Although network research continues to proliferate in public adminis-
tration, the relationship between network structure and network effects remains an important yet understudied
topic (Brennecke et al., 2019; Provan et al., 2007). We use the term network structures to describe the overall shape
of a network and to depict the structural characteristics and positions of the nodes and groups that comprise the
network (Borgatti et al., 2018). Network effects
1
are the desired impacts or consequences that a network may have
on participating actors (e.g., adoption of innovation), the network itself (e.g., sustainability and legitimacy), and the
broader community served by the network (e.g., growth of social capital; Provan & Milward, 2001). As both
network-level and community-level impacts refer to aggregate or emergent macro-level outcomes, we use system-
level effects to distinguish them from node-level effects. Thus, in this review, we consider the association between
network structure and network effects at two levels: the actor or node level and the system level. We report the
findings from existing network effects research throughout this study accordingly.
Network structure matters because relationship patterns influence both node-level and system-level outcomes
(Provan & Milward, 2001). Structural characteristics impact how information and resources flow through a network,
and thus the system's overall effectiveness. For instance, a centralized network structure has been found to enable
fast information dissemination from the central nodes to others (Akkerman et al., 2012; Markovic, 2017). At the
nodal level, structural properties facilitate or constrain individual actors' access to information and resources. An
actor's connections and embeddedness in a network can influence attitudes, behaviors, learning, and performance
(Borgatti & Halgin, 2011). Understanding the effects of network structure can help improve resource allocation and
inform the design and management of networks, ultimately achieving collaborative outcomes (Whetsell et al., 2020).
954 HU ET AL.
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