Actor Networks Research Articles

Network Structure and Collaborative Performance Among Environmental NGOs in China

Abstract Although the significance of NGO cooperation has been recognized in various studies, little is known about how NGOs in authoritarian states engage in collaboration, and few studies examine the outcomes of NGO collaboration from a network perspective. This article utilizes a questionnaire-based method to gather data on 103 environmental NGOs (ENGOs) in China. First, we confirm the existence of collaborative networks among NGOs in 19 provinces and municipalities in China. Then, informed by the social capital theory, we investigate the impact of bridging and bonding structures on network outcomes. The results show that bridging network structures can promote the efficiency and effectiveness of environmental NGOs in collaboration. In contrast, while bonding structures can also improve cooperative efficiency, they are not always effective. Overall, this study highlights the crucial role of central actors in collaborative networks, enriching existing literature and providing valuable insights for policymakers and NGO managers.

Industrial Chain Risk Exposure and Economic Volatility: A Framework Incorporating Foreign‐Invested Enterprises

ABSTRACTWe introduce a novel accounting framework to assess the risk exposure on both the demand and supply sides of industrial chains incorporating foreign direct investment. The new framework considers the role of foreign‐invested enterprises, their interactions with domestic‐owned firms and their involvement in international trade. Using the AMNE‐ICIO data, we conducted an in‐depth analysis of risk exposure for China's industrial chain and its correlation with economic volatility. Our study yielded four key findings. (1) The trajectories of China's industrial chain risk exposure on both the demand and supply sides generally align, exhibiting a downward trend. Conventional methods without distinction between foreign‐invested enterprises and domestic‐owned firms significantly underestimate China's industrial chain risk exposure. (2) There exists a marked disparity in risk exposure across different countries and sectors, with developed countries and high‐tech manufacturing sectors facing substantially higher risks. (3) As pivotal actors in the global production network, China and the United States hold critical positions in the global industrial chains. (4) Empirical results indicate that, compared to country sectors with lower risk exposure, those facing higher risk exposure prior to the global financial crisis experienced greater economic volatility following the crisis.

The salient stakeholders of industrial downsizing: the contribution of boundary object and systemic shock

Purpose The identification of salient stakeholders remains an issue in stakeholder theory (ST). The articulation of ST with the concepts of boundary object and systemic shock contributes to tackle this point. A boundary object is the “stake” that aggregates a stable network of interdependent actors “holding” interest in it. They compromise to satisfy their interests and collectively reach an equilibrium. Design/methodology/approach In a deductive approach, to illustrate the conceptual framework, empirical evidence is provided by an in-depth case study based on semi-directive interviews and the secondary data (Eisenhardt, 1989; Yin, 2017) of an industrial downsizing that included massive dismissals and involves a multi-stakeholder network. I use a temporal bracketing methodology (Langley et al., 2013) to analyze the dynamic process of interactions between stakeholders. The evolution of interactions is analyzed before the public announcement, during the implementation of the downsizing, and after the closure. The case is Gamma-Alpha (GA), a large German pharmaceutical company, that decided to cut 1250 positions in its Geneva entity and to close the office. Findings This research contributes to the understanding of employment relationships through the lenses of ST. A managerial decision affecting a boundary object involving workers could lead to a systemic shock inducing network change that would require attention from managers in order to successfully implement their decision. It also highlights how and when stakeholders (employees, trade-unions, government, etc.) have more opportunities to influence firm behavior. Originality/value Our main contribution comes from enriching the literature on stakeholder theory with the concepts of boundary object and systemic shock, which results in a crucial conceptual advance: stakeholder saliency is not an intrinsic characteristic but depends on the boundary object that connects the stakeholder’s interests with those of the firm. Moreover, defining a systemic shock affecting the boundary object characterizes the event that triggers interactions between stakeholders and the dynamic evolution of the network.

Resilience in the Vaccine Supply Chain: Learning from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic revealed vaccine supply chain (VSC) weaknesses and enabled post-pandemic analysis highlighting the growing importance of supply chain resilience. This study analyzes weaknesses and potentials for VSC resilience from an industry perspective. Insights from this study are aimed at supporting helping managers and policy-makers build a more resilient vaccine supply. Methods: A qualitative semi-structured interview study was conducted with 12 industry experts along the VSC. The interviews were assessed concerning the learnings from the pandemic in a two-step content analysis. Codes were assigned to key VSC concepts and variables and then linked to political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental (PESTLE) dimensions. The complex multi-stakeholder supply chain was visualized in a system overview, highlighting main actors, roles, constraints, and resilience. Results: The analysis resulted in 60 codes, categorized into the six PESTLE dimensions and three additional (sub)groups (mRNA, Supply chain resilience, and Solutions). The largest dimension was Economic, with 39 codes, including the Supply chain resilience subgroup. Twelve stakeholder groups were identified, with purchasers, manufacturers, suppliers, developers, and regulatory agencies being the most significant in emergency vaccine manufacturing situations. Conclusions: The system overview demonstrated the VSC as a complex network of actors with unaligned goals rather than a linear supply chain. This study shows that the VSC is characterized by uncertainty due to external factors, like the unpredictability of new emergencies, and internal factors like vaccine demand. The lack of transparency between industry stakeholders exacerbates VSC disruption. We conclude that infrastructures and management practices that enable increased transparency and collaboration between stakeholders hold the greatest potential for strengthening the VSC’s resilience to future pandemics.

Arms Race or Innovation Race? Geopolitical AI Development

ABSTRACT China, the United States, and the European Union have spoken of a global competition surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI). There is widespread talk of an ‘AI Arms Race’. But what is the nature of this race? We argue that the arms race metaphor does not capture the dynamics of global competition in the AI sector. Instead, we propose the notion of a ‘geopolitical innovation race’ for technological leadership in a networked global economy. Based on an analysis of government documents, we find that actors (1) are open to both zero-sum and positive-sum approaches in AI development, (2) organise actor networks differently based on national innovation cultures, (3) prioritise economics and status next to security concerns, and (4) are open to how AI should be interpreted. Referring to the competitive race of AI research and development, the three technopoles perpetuate the geopoliticisation of innovation and intertwine security and economic interests.

Mobilization for collective market shaping: interplay of innovation and issue networks

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate network mobilization for collective market shaping. The authors focus on sustainable innovations that require broad cross-sectoral mobilization to create collective action among network actors. By drawing on insights from mobilization in innovation and issue networks, the authors shed light on the role of these two different networks in mobilizing collective action and triggering collective market shaping for sustainable innovations.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a qualitative case study on the commercialization of a new low-carbon eco-concrete. The eco-concrete faces significant challenges in entering the market, due to the construction industry’s entrenched practices and institutional arrangements. These challenges emphasize the critical need for mobilizing collective action to generate the momentum for market change.FindingsThe findings reveal four types of interplay between mobilization in innovation and issue networks: synergistic and complementary mobilization that can reinforce collective market shaping and conflicting and diluting mobilization that can impede collective action and hinder the market shaping for sustainable innovations.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the role of mobilization in triggering collective market shaping. In particular, this research sheds light on the early stages of market shaping for sustainable innovations where broad mobilization for collective action is critical.

Mapping actor networks: shaping the dynamics of economic corridors through the lens of the Bioceanic Road Corridor

Mapping actor networks: shaping the dynamics of economic corridors through the lens of the Bioceanic Road Corridor

Pentingnya Pengesahan Rancangan Undang-Undang Perampasan Aset oleh Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia

TThis study aims to examine the urgency of enacting the Draft Law on Asset Forfeiture by the People's Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia and its potential impact upon implementation. The Asset Forfeiture Bill serves as a vital instrument in the ongoing effort to protect the Indonesian people from networks of corrupt actors. It also provides a regulatory framework to streamline the confiscation of assets derived from acts of corruption. The researcher aspires for this study to contribute to strengthening measures for preventing and combating corruption in Indonesia. This research adopts a normative method, drawing extensively on statutory regulations and comprehensive literature analysis.

Gluten Rice Cultivation and Business in Malaysia: A Social Entrepreneurship Approach in Agent-Structure Analysis

The cultivation of gluten rice in Malaysia is growing with global market demand, creating social entrepreneurship opportunities that empower farmers and offer sustainable social, economic and environmental impacts. The main objective of this study is to analyze gluten rice cultivation and business in Malaysia through a social entrepreneurship approach using agent-structure analysis, where the interactions between key agents such as farmers, social entrepreneurs, government, and consumers, as well as the social, economic, and policy structures that influence them, are analyzed to understand their role in shaping a sustainable and competitive gluten rice industry. The research method used is a literature review with a methodological approach involving identification, analysis and synthesis of literature. Data collection techniques were conducted by utilizing various sources such as books, academic journals, research reports, and articles related to social entrepreneurship, actors in networks, and social value production. The data analysis technique used was descriptive qualitative. Based on the research on gluten rice cultivation in Malaysia with a social entrepreneurship approach through agent-structure analysis, the main conclusions include several important points. First, the roles of key agents such as farmers, social entrepreneurs and consumers shape the supply chain that supports business sustainability. Second, social, economic and policy structures, including green regulations and market access, influence industry. Third, the gluten-free rice business provides economic and social benefits, improving farmers' incomes and supporting healthy lifestyles. Finally, sustainable agricultural practices support environmental sustainability and carbon footprint reduction.

The Influence of Social Networks on the Livelihoods of Urban Refugees in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

This study examined the influence of social networks in enhancing the livelihoods of urban refugees in Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania. It focused on the key actors within the social networks of urban refugees, as well as the effectiveness of these networks on enhancing the livelihoods of refugees in Dar es Salaam City. Social network and actor network theories guided this study. Using a qualitative approach, data was collected through focus group discussions and document reviews. Four focus groups were organized, involving Burundian men, Congolese men, Congolese women, and a mixed group of Congolese and Burundian youth. Thematic analysis was employed to identify key themes and patterns in the data. Findings revealed that urban refugees rely on various social networks, both formal and informal, ranging from government to non-government organizations, international organizations, families, and friends. Actors in the formal networks included Dignity Kwanza, Tanganyika Christian Refugee Services (TCRS), Relief to Development Society (REDESO), Church World Services (CWS), UNHCR, and the Refugee Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs, which provides training, financial, and legal support. In addition, informal networks that refugees have established include family and friendship within the host community, offering critical moral, social, and material support. The results suggest that, while formal network support in the form of training has not significantly improved the livelihoods of refugees due to policy restrictions, informal networks, specifically those made up of family and friendship ties, were effective in enhancing the livelihoods of these refugees in Dar es Salaam. The study recommends tailoring training initiatives for refugees within Tanzania’s refugee policy context, to optimize their impact on their livelihoods.

Derived Heuristics for Academic Integrity Enculturation – an Actor-Network Theory Perspective of Automated Plagiarism Management

Objective: This study examines the efficacy of enculturation of academic integrity, in the context of an automated student plagiarism management system (ASPMS) at a private higher education institution (PHEI) to provide heuristics for related endeavours. Theoretical Framework: In this topic, the main theory underpinning the research is the Actor-Network Theory (ANT). Method: The methodology adopted for this research comprises a mixed approach, incorporating both qualitative thematic analysis of transcripts of interviews with human actors and quantitative analyses of data gathered from the ASPMS. Results and Discussion: A nuanced, gestalt-like composition of ANT relationships emerged, from which many meaningful heuristics could be derived for both enhancing, and avoiding pitfalls in, enculturation of academic integrity. The ANT perspective allows for the essential roles of human and non-human actors in the network to be assessed for efficacy in achieving the objectives of the network. Overarching heuristics include ongoing cyclic-iterative refinement of the automated system; the underpinning regulatory framework and related organisational structures; and the education/training of human actors. Research Implications: Incorporating automation in academic integrity measures, allows for the delegation of onerous tasks to non-human actors in the system. Notwithstanding, acknowledged disruptors in this evolving context, such as the advent of Large-Language Model Artificial Intelligence (LLM-AI) tools (notably, Chat-GPT), increasingly confound the detection and assessment of plagiarism. Advancing heuristics towards designing systems for enculturating academic integrity– and for concomitant evaluation of the efficacy of such actor networks (as per ANT) – comprises the major implications of this study. Originality/Value: While this study involves a relatively esoteric context – a case study involving a bespoke ASPMS at a single PHEI campus in South Africa – the heuristics have application in many systems (actor networks), with or without automation, in which academic integrity is fostered.

The UN Summit of the Future

Abstract The United Nations (UN) Summit of the Future was a once-in-a-decade summit to work on UN reform. This article studies the Summit from the perspective of the broader crisis of liberal international order as well as the lifecycle of international organizations. It identifies the leadership by Secretary-General Guterres as critical in terms of agenda-setting but also preparing the road towards the Summit. It furthermore stresses the embedding of the UN in a much broader external network of like-minded actors which have helped to increase the momentum of the Summit. It argues that the proposals by the Secretary-General should be considered an innovative attempt at institutional layering. Adding new governance layers, addressing common problems, clearly made sense to the UN, yet this approach was ultimately weakened in the inter-state negotiations between the member states leading up to the Summit.

Service providers’ perspectives and reproductive (in)justice among Roma women: a qualitative study in Spain

The main objective of this study is to identify the barriers that prevent Roma women and girls from accessing reproductive rights derived from reproductive justice by analysing the discourses of service providers as a facilitating source of information. A qualitative study including nine semi-structured in-person interviews with community service providers was conducted in April-June 2019. The interview script addressed intercultural competences, views on gender discrimination against Roma women, resources available to fight against this discrimination, knowledge and use of these resources in reproductive justice, as well as the networks of actors involved. The qualitative analysis involved a discourse analysis. In the analysis, three focal areas were defined around which barriers to access spaces inspired by reproductive justice for Roma women could be identified. In each of the focal areas (stereotypes, discrimination, and intercultural competences), discourses and practices have been observed in contrasting ways that can prevent access, as well as others that can facilitate access based on prejudices about Roma culture and people. The relationship models between professionals and users of the Roma population project stereotypes that are an obstacle in terms of accessing reproductive justice. The right of Roma women to preserve their culture and to actively participate in policies that affect them is not included and guaranteed in public policies. The intention to include the Roma population’s situation in an inclusive narrative exists, although without short-term effects. Reproductive justice is an absent framework within professional intervention and the institutional system.

Racial and Ethnic (In)equity in Development of Power Through Place-Based Initiatives.

Background: Place-based initiatives (PBIs) invest in a geographic area and often build community power to improve well-being. However, there can be differences in results for different groups within a community. Methods: In six communities, we measured differences in "power to" by race/ethnicity at two points for the first phase of the PBI Healthy Places North Carolina (HPNC) using five indicators: (1) representation in network of actors collaborating to improve health, (2) leadership attributes, (3) perceived change in attributes due to HPNC, (4) network centrality, and (5) perceived change in network ties due to HPNC. Results: Latine populations were underrepresented. In four (majority White) communities, there were indications of White advantage. In one, White centrality was greater than non-White. In another, White actors consistently rated themselves higher for leadership attributes. In two, a gap in leadership attributes favoring White actors appeared at Wave 2. In two counties with African American majorities, non-White attributes ranked higher than White. Conclusions: Each indicator provided unique insight. Results provide new evidence of measurement validity and reliability. Results indicate that when PBIs designed to address the needs of low-resource communities do not proactively concern themselves with racial/ethnic equity and power (as HPNC would do in the years after this study), they may result in greater White benefit from PBI or failure to close existing gaps. Findings aligned with the "political reality" model of the correspondence between the size of African American population and their perceived self-efficacy. Changes over time and inter-county differences confirm need for early measurement of power differences and changes.

ALAAMEE: Open-source software for fitting autologistic actor attribute models

The autologistic actor attribute model (ALAAM) is a model for social influence, derived from the more widely known exponential-family random graph model (ERGM). ALAAMs can be used to estimate parameters corresponding to multiple forms of social contagion associated with network structure and actor covariates. This work introduces ALAAMEE, open-source Python software for estimation, simulation, and goodness-of-fit testing for ALAAM models. ALAAMEE implements both the stochastic approximation and equilibrium expectation (EE) algorithms for ALAAM parameter estimation, including estimation from snowball sampled network data. It implements data structures and statistics for undirected, directed, and bipartite networks. We use a simulation study to assess the accuracy of the EE algorithm for ALAAM parameter estimation and statistical inference, and demonstrate the use of ALAAMEE with empirical examples using both small (fewer than 100 nodes) and large (more than 10 000 nodes) networks.

Institutional efforts and regional distribution of climate-smart agriculture initiatives in Ghana

Mapping climate-smart agriculture (CSA) initiatives enable countries to account for emissions and develop adaptation measures. While discourse on CSA implementation exists, developing countries lack empirical evidence to support intervention design. This study analyzes actor networks and assesses social benefits through a comprehensive review of 153 CSA projects across Ghana's 16 regions from 1971 to 2023. The Northern region hosted the highest concentration (17%) of CSA projects, followed by Upper West, Upper East, Bono, Eastern, and Ashanti regions, primarily focusing on drought adaptation. Crop production emerged as the dominant system (56%), with governmental entities leading 80.4% of initiatives. Regional variations show post-harvest loss reduction as the primary aim in southern regions, while forestry and aquaculture initiatives concentrate in Eastern and Western regions to address flood vulnerability in degraded landscapes. The study reveals spatial and temporal patterns in Ghana's CSA implementation, identifying gaps in coverage and stakeholder participation. These findings provide an evidence base for policymakers to optimize resource allocation, strengthen underserved regions' climate resilience, and align CSA initiatives with national sustainable development goals.

An Intelligent Maneuver Decision-Making Approach for Air Combat Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning and Transformer Networks

The traditional maneuver decision-making approaches are highly dependent on accurate and complete situation information, and their decision-making quality becomes poor when opponent information is occasionally missing in complex electromagnetic environments. In order to solve this problem, an autonomous maneuver decision-making approach is developed based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) architecture. Meanwhile, a Transformer network is integrated into the actor and critic networks, which can find the potential dependency relationships among the time series trajectory data. By using these relationships, the information loss is partially compensated, which leads to maneuvering decisions being more accurate. The issues of limited experience samples, low sampling efficiency, and poor stability in the agent training state appear when the Transformer network is introduced into DRL. To address these issues, the measures of designing an effective decision-making reward, a prioritized sampling method, and a dynamic learning rate adjustment mechanism are proposed. Numerous simulation results show that the proposed approach outperforms the traditional DRL algorithms, with a higher win rate in the case of opponent information loss.

Digital Platform, Spatial-Digital Fix, and the Reconfiguration of Apparel Production Networks

This article proposes an analytical framework of spatial-digital fix to explain how emerging online platform retailers utilize digital technologies to fix their crises in backward and forward value chains—both digitally and spatially—and their subsequent positive and negative impacts on various actors in production and distribution networks. By applying the analytical framework on Shein (an emerging online fast fashion retailer originally based in China), we demonstrate how it utilizes spatial-digital infrastructures to fix various crises/shocks across the entire value chain, from the fashion design and procurement to supply chain management through its in-house algorithmic systems, fostering an ultra-fast rate of capital accumulation. Beyond the inherently crisis-prone nature and the corresponding dark sides highlighted in the literature, we focus on the dynamic processes of capital accumulation and the corresponding fixes that lead to darker (negative) and brighter (positive) sides in various actors, from the constant pressure on cost minimization to synergistic intersections between emerging digital fast fashion retailers, subcontractors, and suppliers in the production networks. Moreover, these spatial-digital fixes are temporary and give rise to new shocks due to their inherently crisis-prone nature, from intellectual property lawsuits to labor and environmental issues. This article complements the conventional case of a race to the bottom among subcontractors by highlighting a continuum between the brighter and darker sides of Shein’s fixes and their disruptive effects on the power relationships and value distributions between incumbent fast fashion retailers, emerging online retailers, and other actors in apparel production networks.

Variations of riskification: Climate change adaptation in four European cities

AbstractThis study explores the manifestations of riskification in climate change adaptation (CCA) across four European cities, examining the roles of actors, discourses, and tools. Through comparative analysis, it aims to delineate local riskification, identifying similarities and differences among the cases. Three intervening factors – ideational frameworks, organization of government, and actor networks – are assessed to comprehend the amplification or deceleration of riskification processes locally. Findings reveal that ideational frameworks shape responses to climate change challenges within each case, while government organization influences CCA strategies and funding mechanisms. Actor networks play a pivotal role in shaping CCA efforts, including measurement, modeling, and monitoring. Despite commonalities, the analysis revealed that the intervening factors are further conditioned in each specific case, albeit in different ways, by aspects not initially considered: the influence of risk culture, risk memory, and technocratic governance in local CCA in each situation. These nuances produce variations of riskification that are locally distinct but equally depoliticize climate change risks, overshadowing broader societal implications and impeding transformative approaches. In particular, the dominance of riskified CCA approaches with technocratic characteristics and limited urgency may hinder innovative strategies required for addressing complex CCA challenges.

Identifying prominent actors in historical networks: The case of the New Education movement

Social network analysis is becoming increasingly popular for studying the past. However, during the last decades, studies have applied pre-collected datasets for social network analysis, which limits the use of the method to cases where such data is available. This article presents another approach whereby two-mode network data are collected from less structured documentary sources, and the findings are enriched with documentary evidence. The approach is used to analyze how 42 notable members of the British New Education movement between 1905 and 1935 were affiliated with 31 organizations. The analysis provides empirical support for the previously proposed idea that there were two kinds of prominence within the movement: that of conveners, who formed close-knit groups with like-minded people, and that of mediators, who built bridges between such groups. Moreover, we discuss how this structure helped the movement to achieve its goals of more up-to-date, equally available education. The method presented in the article is suitable for researchers working with bibliographical or archive material in various domains.