Josiane Chatellet

Embeddedness as a multilevel problem: A case study in economic sociology

Economic sociology has established the interdependencies between economic and social structures using the notion of embeddedness of the former in the latter. However research usually studies inter-organizational commercial networks and inter-individual informal networks separately. In this article we use a multilevel framework to analyze jointly economic networks between firms and informal networks between their members in order to reframe this embeddedness hypothesis. Based on a network study of a trade fair for television programmes in Eastern Europe we show that while each level has its own specific processes they are partly nested. Beyond this result, we observe that these levels of agency emerge in different contexts and in different temporalities. To conclude, we show that in order to understand performance on a market one needs to look at this dual positioning of individuals and organizations.

Inter-organizational Network Influence on Long-Term and Short-Term Inter-individual Relationships: The Case of a Trade Fair for TV Programs Distribution in Sub-Saharan Africa

In this chapter we study the influence of inter-organizational relationships on the formation of inter-individual relationships in the context of a trade fair. From a multilevel network analysis perspective (MNA), research often shows that inter-organizational ties have a strong influence on inter-individual relationship formation and vice-versa. This mutual influence can be seen as a process of adjustment between levels of action that Lazega (Chap. 2 of this volume, and forthcoming) calls “synchronization.” Our study provides insights into specific aspects of this synchronization process. Through the study of a trade fair for TV program distribution in sub-Saharan Africa, we study the influence of inter-organizational ties (deals and partnerships) on short-term-inter-individual relationships created during this ‘field-configuring event’ and on long-term relationships created outside the trade fair but reactivated during the event. We try to understand how this event participates in the formation of a social milieu in which the markets for TV programs in Africa are embedded. We argue that the multilevel influences are different for short-term and long-term inter-individual ties. We assume that inter-organizational networks are more stable than inter-individual networks, since individuals can more easily create and destroy ties. Through our case study, we show that while the inter-organizational contract network influences the long-term inter-individual network, it has a weak influence on the short-term relationships, which supports the idea that synchronization of levels is an important social problem, and that trade fairs are a way either to escape from the constraints that come attached in markets, or a way to manage them.

Market as a Multilevel System

Economic sociology has established the interdependencies between economic and social structures using the notion of embeddedness of the former in the latter. However research usually studies inter-organizational commercial networks and inter-individual informal networks separately. In this article we use a multilevel framework to jointly analyze economic networks between firms and informal networks between their members in order to reframe this embeddedness hypothesis. Based on a network study of a trade fair for television programs in Eastern Europe we show that while each level has its own specific processes, they are partly nested. Beyond this result, we observe that these levels of agency emerge in different contexts and that they are diachronically related. To conclude, we show that in order to understand performance in a market one needs to look at this dual positioning of individuals and organizations.