2021
|
Valeeva, Diliara; Takes, Frank W; Heemskerk, Eelke M Beaten paths towards the transnational corporate elite Journal Article In: International Sociology, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 97-123, 2021. @article{Valeeva2021,
title = {Beaten paths towards the transnational corporate elite},
author = {Diliara Valeeva and Frank W Takes and Eelke M Heemskerk},
url = {DOI: 10.1177/02685809211051661
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02685809211051661},
doi = {10.1177/02685809211051661},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-12-09},
journal = {International Sociology},
volume = {37},
number = {1},
pages = {97-123},
abstract = {The transnationalization of economic activities has fundamentally altered the world. One of the consequences that has intrigued scholars is the formation of a transnational corporate elite. While the literature tends to focus on the topology of the transnational board interlock network, little is known about its driving mechanisms. This article asks the question: what are the trajectories that corporate elites follow in driving the expansion of this network? To answer this, the authors employ a novel approach that models the transnationalization of elites using their board appointment sequences. The findings show that there are six transnationalization trajectories corporate elites follow to expand the network. The authors argue that while the transnational elite network appears as a global social structure, its generating mechanisms are regionally organized. This corroborates earlier findings on the fragmentation of the global network of corporate control, but also provides insights into how this network was shaped over time.},
keywords = {corporate elites, elite networks, interlocking directorates, sequence analysis, transnational elite},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The transnationalization of economic activities has fundamentally altered the world. One of the consequences that has intrigued scholars is the formation of a transnational corporate elite. While the literature tends to focus on the topology of the transnational board interlock network, little is known about its driving mechanisms. This article asks the question: what are the trajectories that corporate elites follow in driving the expansion of this network? To answer this, the authors employ a novel approach that models the transnationalization of elites using their board appointment sequences. The findings show that there are six transnationalization trajectories corporate elites follow to expand the network. The authors argue that while the transnational elite network appears as a global social structure, its generating mechanisms are regionally organized. This corroborates earlier findings on the fragmentation of the global network of corporate control, but also provides insights into how this network was shaped over time. |
van Kuppevelt, Dafne E; Bakhshi, Rena; Heemskerk, Eelke M.; Takes, Frank W. Community membership consistency applied to corporate board interlock networks Journal Article In: Journal of Computational Social Science, 2021. @article{vanKuppevelt2021,
title = {Community membership consistency applied to corporate board interlock networks},
author = {Dafne E van Kuppevelt and Rena Bakhshi and Eelke M. Heemskerk and Frank W. Takes},
url = {DOI: 10.1007/s42001-021-00145-5
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42001-021-00145-5#article-info},
doi = {10.1007/s42001-021-00145-5},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-11-19},
journal = {Journal of Computational Social Science},
abstract = {Community detection is a well-established method for studying the meso-scale
structure of social networks. Applying a community detection algorithm results in
a division of a network into communities that is often used to inspect and reason
about community membership of specifc nodes. This micro-level interpretation step
of community structure is a crucial step in typical social science research. However,
the methodological caveat in this step is that virtually all modern community detection methods are non-deterministic and based on randomization and approximated
results. This needs to be explicitly taken into consideration when reasoning about
community membership of individual nodes. To do so, we propose a metric of community membership consistency, that provides node-level insights in how reliable
the placement of that node into a community really is. In addition, it enables us to
distinguish the community core members of a community. The usefulness of the
proposed metrics is demonstrated on corporate board interlock networks, in which
weighted links represent shared senior level directors between frms. Results suggest
that the community structure of global business groups is centered around persistent
communities consisting of core countries tied by geographical and cultural proximity. In addition, we identify fringe countries that appear to associate with a number
of diferent global business communities.},
keywords = {board interlocks, community detection, interlocking directorates, modularity, network analysis},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Community detection is a well-established method for studying the meso-scale
structure of social networks. Applying a community detection algorithm results in
a division of a network into communities that is often used to inspect and reason
about community membership of specifc nodes. This micro-level interpretation step
of community structure is a crucial step in typical social science research. However,
the methodological caveat in this step is that virtually all modern community detection methods are non-deterministic and based on randomization and approximated
results. This needs to be explicitly taken into consideration when reasoning about
community membership of individual nodes. To do so, we propose a metric of community membership consistency, that provides node-level insights in how reliable
the placement of that node into a community really is. In addition, it enables us to
distinguish the community core members of a community. The usefulness of the
proposed metrics is demonstrated on corporate board interlock networks, in which
weighted links represent shared senior level directors between frms. Results suggest
that the community structure of global business groups is centered around persistent
communities consisting of core countries tied by geographical and cultural proximity. In addition, we identify fringe countries that appear to associate with a number
of diferent global business communities. |
Huijzer, M J; Heemskerk, E M Delineating the corporate elite: Inquiring the boundaries and composition of interlocking directorate networks Journal Article In: Global Networks, 2021. @article{Huijzer2021,
title = {Delineating the corporate elite: Inquiring the boundaries and composition of interlocking directorate networks},
author = {M J Huijzer and E M Heemskerk},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.12316
},
doi = {glob.12316},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-02-24},
journal = {Global Networks},
abstract = {Corporate elite studies have for long investigated networks of interlocking directorates to test and corroborate key theoretical expectations regarding the cohesive organization of such an elite and their ability and willingness to act on behalf of general business interests. These studies typically collect data on a list of 50, 100, 200 or 500 corporations ranked by economic size, sometimes stratified in sectors. The sampling approach often follows previous studies in order to increase comparability. These relatively arbitrary sampling practices are problematic because they impact the empirical results and our therefore the conclusions drawn from it. Using a sample of 3251 Canada‐based corporations, we establish that indeed different sampling criteria – that is sample size, proportion of financial firms, inclusion of state‐owned enterprises and so on – significantly impacts network properties of corporate elite networks. We establish rather disturbing differences, especially for smaller sample sizes (<100). Subsequently, we develop alternative demarcation criteria of the corporate elite based on a k‐core decomposition. We conclude by emphasizing that the sampling decisions in interlocking directorate studies should much more be carefully be thought through in future research on the topic, both in corporate elite studies and beyond.},
keywords = {boundary, interlocking directorates, sample size},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Corporate elite studies have for long investigated networks of interlocking directorates to test and corroborate key theoretical expectations regarding the cohesive organization of such an elite and their ability and willingness to act on behalf of general business interests. These studies typically collect data on a list of 50, 100, 200 or 500 corporations ranked by economic size, sometimes stratified in sectors. The sampling approach often follows previous studies in order to increase comparability. These relatively arbitrary sampling practices are problematic because they impact the empirical results and our therefore the conclusions drawn from it. Using a sample of 3251 Canada‐based corporations, we establish that indeed different sampling criteria – that is sample size, proportion of financial firms, inclusion of state‐owned enterprises and so on – significantly impacts network properties of corporate elite networks. We establish rather disturbing differences, especially for smaller sample sizes (<100). Subsequently, we develop alternative demarcation criteria of the corporate elite based on a k‐core decomposition. We conclude by emphasizing that the sampling decisions in interlocking directorate studies should much more be carefully be thought through in future research on the topic, both in corporate elite studies and beyond. |
2020
|
Valeeva, D; Heemskerk, E M; Takes, F W The duality of firms and directors in board interlock networks: A relational event modeling approach Journal Article In: Social Networks, vol. 62, pp. 68-79, 2020. @article{Valeeva2020,
title = {The duality of firms and directors in board interlock networks: A relational event modeling approach},
author = {D Valeeva and E M Heemskerk and F W Takes},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378873320300186?},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2020.02.009},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-03-11},
journal = {Social Networks},
volume = {62},
pages = {68-79},
abstract = {The long tradition of scholarly work on corporate interlocks has left us with competing theoretical frameworks on the causes of interlock networks. Board interlocks are studied either as means to overcome the resource dependence of corporations or as a group cohesion mechanism of business elites. This contrast is due to an empirical divide of the literature where either the firms or the individuals are considered as decision-making bodies. In systematically ignoring the agency of the other group of actors, these literatures suffer from both theoretical and empirical biases in understanding the drivers of new interlocks. In this paper, we employ a relational event modeling technique that allows us to overcome this problem. The analysis of board appointments in Denmark demonstrates how in fact both personal and corporate considerations simultaneously drive the evolution of the corporate networks. The study of the duality of actors is essential for understanding the causes and consequences of corporate networks across time and space.},
keywords = {corporate networks, elites, interlocking directorates, relational event modeling},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The long tradition of scholarly work on corporate interlocks has left us with competing theoretical frameworks on the causes of interlock networks. Board interlocks are studied either as means to overcome the resource dependence of corporations or as a group cohesion mechanism of business elites. This contrast is due to an empirical divide of the literature where either the firms or the individuals are considered as decision-making bodies. In systematically ignoring the agency of the other group of actors, these literatures suffer from both theoretical and empirical biases in understanding the drivers of new interlocks. In this paper, we employ a relational event modeling technique that allows us to overcome this problem. The analysis of board appointments in Denmark demonstrates how in fact both personal and corporate considerations simultaneously drive the evolution of the corporate networks. The study of the duality of actors is essential for understanding the causes and consequences of corporate networks across time and space. |
2019
|
Van Straalen, L. The Resilient European Corporate Community: Evidence from the European network of interlocking directorates between 2005 and 2018 Masters Thesis 2019. @mastersthesis{vanStraalen2019,
title = {The Resilient European Corporate Community: Evidence from the European network of interlocking directorates between 2005 and 2018},
author = {Van Straalen, L.},
url = {https://corpnet.uva.nl/wp-content/uploads/Van-Straalen-L.-Bachelor-Thesis.pdf},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-06-03},
abstract = {The European network of interlocking directorates is an important backbone of European integration, connecting the transnational European corporate elite. In this thesis, I analyzed the development of the European IDN between 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2018 with two new datasets. The findings show that after a period of growth between 2005 and 2010, the European corporate network decreased in connectivity during the financial crisis. After 2015, the European IDN started growing again, proving its resilience. This study of the development of the European IDN, its core of firms and directors and the first effects of Brexit on the British connectivity to the European corporate elite, shows that with Euroscepticism and nationalism on the rise, the European corporate community might yet again prove to be of great importance in influencing the future of the European Union.},
keywords = {board of directors, business elites, corporate governance, Eurocrisis, European Union, interlocking directorates, networks},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {mastersthesis}
}
The European network of interlocking directorates is an important backbone of European integration, connecting the transnational European corporate elite. In this thesis, I analyzed the development of the European IDN between 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2018 with two new datasets. The findings show that after a period of growth between 2005 and 2010, the European corporate network decreased in connectivity during the financial crisis. After 2015, the European IDN started growing again, proving its resilience. This study of the development of the European IDN, its core of firms and directors and the first effects of Brexit on the British connectivity to the European corporate elite, shows that with Euroscepticism and nationalism on the rise, the European corporate community might yet again prove to be of great importance in influencing the future of the European Union. |