Pennsylvania State University, USA.
Soc Sci Res. 2023 Aug;114:102913. doi: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2023.102913. Epub 2023 Aug 3.
How do groups maintain internal solidarity and closure without compromising their access to diverse networks? A long line of previous research suggests focusing on the boundary-spanning activities of "brokers" who bridge gaps in social structure. In many contexts, however, brokers are viewed with suspicion and distrust rather than rewarded for their diversity of interests. This article examines groups in which the theoretical deck is seemingly stacked against brokerage and toward parochialism: American-Italian mafia families. Through an institutional analysis of the mafia organization, I trace how ethnic and organizational closure led marginalized actors to seek alternative paths to enrichment beyond the family-controlled networks and industries. Using a historical network data set, I document a division of network labor in which ethnic outsiders- more than other actors-benefited as bridges between parochial organizations. This illuminates a broader paradox of social organization: while social closure is typically thought important because it increases the group's power over individual members and reinforces boundaries, it can also undermine those same boundaries by pushing marginal actors to seek opportunities and connections outside the group.
群体如何在不损害其获取多样化网络的情况下保持内部团结和封闭？ 之前的一系列研究表明，关注“经纪人”的跨越边界活动是有必要的，因为他们可以弥合社会结构中的差距。 然而，在许多情况下，经纪人会受到怀疑和不信任，而不是因为他们的利益多样化而得到回报。 本文考察了一些群体，在这些群体中，理论上似乎对经纪人不利，而有利于狭隘主义：美国意大利黑手党家族。 通过对黑手党组织的制度分析，我追溯了种族和组织封闭如何导致边缘化的行为者寻求除家庭控制的网络和行业之外的其他途径来致富。 我使用历史网络数据集记录了网络劳动的分工，其中族裔局外人——比其他行为者更能——作为局内组织之间的桥梁从中受益。 这阐明了一个更广泛的社会组织悖论：虽然社会封闭通常被认为很重要，因为它增加了群体对个体成员的权力并加强了边界，但它也可以通过推动边缘化的行为者在群体之外寻找机会和联系来破坏这些相同的边界。
