Network diversity and economic development.
Social networks form the backbone of social and economic life. Until recently, however, data have not been available to study the social impact of a national network structure. To that end, we combined the most complete record of a national communication network with national census data on the socioeconomic well-being of communities. These data make possible a population-level investigation of the relation between the structure of social networks and access to socioeconomic opportunity. We find that the diversity of individuals' relationships is strongly correlated with the economic development of communities.
Eagle
Nathan
N
Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA. nathan@mit.edu
Macy
Michael
M
Claxton
Rob
R
D019352:Censuses; D057217:Economic Development; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D012922:Social Change; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013689:Telephone; D006113:United Kingdom