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Benny Geys
How to Make Head or Tail of ‘Bridging’
and ‘Bonding’?: Addressing the Methodological Ambiguity
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A distinction has recently been proposed between bridging (or
encompassing) and bonding (or inward-looking) social networks.
However, existing theoretical contributions remain vague as to the
fundamental meaning of both concepts. As a consequence, two distinct
interpretations have evolved alongside each other. In the present
paper, we employ data on voluntary association membership in
Flanders to empirically illustrate that both approaches can lead to
substantially different outcomes and therefore appear to tap into
different dimensions of bridging versus bonding. These findings
underline the problematic nature of the current conceptual
ambiguity. We conclude that should the bridging-bonding distinction
add meaningfully to our understanding of the external effects of
social networks, it is essential to resolve the conceptual and
methodological imprecision. |
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