Networked solidarity economy: Gender in interorganizational networks. An evaluation with ERGMs

Abstract

Abstract For their economic success, organizations in the social economy are particularly dependent on access to collective resources through interorganizational networks. Because self-organised network governance of an economy is notoriously intransparent, there is the danger that existing societal inequalities get replicated particularly well. This creates a tension with the equality-promoting mission of these organizations. This paper investigates the degree to which the goal of gender equality has been realized in the social economy of Barcelona. By analysing networks of advice-seeking and economic collaboration with exponential random graph models, network mechanisms are analysed to estimate gender-based inequality.

Keywords

• Advice network
• Social economy organizations
• Collaboration
• ERGMs
• Gender
• Gender-based inequality