Network Exchange Theory
American sociologist David Willer created "elementary theory", as his own approach to sociology. Later Willer together with Barry Markovsky developed network exchange theory, which seeks to quantify the effects of social structure on the power of individuals operating within a network. Willer's book Network Exchange Theory (1999), represents the elaboration of elementary theory and develops mathematical models for understanding and predicting power relations in exchange structures. Willer also develops computer software that simulates experiments with which he investigates hypotheses derived from elementary theory.
Within networks, the effects of social structure are diminished, so the characteristics of the individual become more pronounced. Markovsky claims that this theory can predict the relative power of different positions within the network and that the social structure has an impact on the feeling of injustice in individuals, which influences them to change their behavior. He believes that the main reason why the theory of distributive justice does not give correct predictions is that it doesn’t study this process.
Books and articles:
Markovsky, Barry. „Power Relations in Exchange Networks”, in American Sociological Review (1988);
- Social Psychology of Groups: A Reader (1993a);
- „The Seeds of Weak Power: An Extension of Network Exchange Theory”, in American Sociological Review (1993b);
- „A New Theory of Group Solidarity”, in Advances in Group Processes (1994);
- „Power in Exchange Networks: Critique of a New Theory”, in American Sociological Review (1997);
- „Power and the Perception of Social Networks”, in Social Networks (2011).
Willer, David. Networks, Exchange and Coercion (1981);
- Theory and the Experimental Investigation of Social Structures (1987);
- „Power Relations in Exchange Networks”, in American Sociological Review (1988);
- Network Exchange Theory (1999);
- Building Experiments: Testing Social Theory (2007).
