Clustered networks as informal elements of access and power: a study in a honey producers association

Abstract

Networks observed from the perspective of the structural dimension present their complexity at the level of positions existing in a social arrangement. These positions have the power to define roles among the actors immersed in social relationships, providing advantages and differentiated access to the network actors. In this context, the present study aims to understand how the relational structure among the producers linked with an association of honey producers in the interior of Paraná state influences the social dynamics. The methodology used is quantitative and qualitative of exploratory nature and conducted as a case study. The data were collected through the sociometric evaluation questionnaire and interviews with actors selected from their position in the network enabled the understanding of the influence of social structures on network governance, establishing powers parallel to formal powers and building clustered structures that allow access and power different from those formally constituted. It evidenced that access to knowledge and resources are results of the social structures composed by the arrangement of relationships established within the producers' association, creating conditions of advantages and disadvantages for the actors immersed in the network. It was also possible to note that the routines established by governance have an influence on the formation of the network structure.