Review of "Unanticipated Gains: Origins of Network Inequality in Everyday Life."
Name
Review of Unanticipated Gains.pdf
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45.64 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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b923709815b79028d68a826803f68963
Author(s)
Reagans, Ray Eugene
Date Issued
September 2010
Journal
American Journal of Sociology
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Citation
Reagans, Ray. “Unanticipated Gains: Origins of Network Inequality in Everyday Life . By Mario Small . New York: Oxford University Press, 2009 . Pp. 312.” The American Journal of Sociology 116.2 (2010): 665–667. CrossRef. Web.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
In Unanticipated Gains: Origins of Network Inequality in Everyday Life
Mario Small illustrates the importance of organizations in producing network-
based inequality. Small argues that organizations play an underappreciated
role in social capital research. Organizations are important
because network connections often develop inside of organizations, and
the broader organizational context in which a network connection develops
can determine how much the connection is worth. Small contrasts
his “organizational embeddedness” perspective with theoretical frameworks
that have focused on network consequences as the expense of
network origins or have adopted a rational actor perspective, where actors
develop network connections in pursuit of the benefits those connections can provide, and have ignored the broader organizational context in which
network connections develop. He illustrates the value of his perspective
with childcare centers in New York City. If you are wondering why
childcare centers, finish the book, and you will appreciate the critical role
these centers play in the lives of many New Yorkers.
MIT Department
Sloan School of Management
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1086/656261
