Social Networks in Policy Making

Recent advances in data collection, computing power, and theoretical modeling have stimulated a growing literature in economics and political science studying how social networks affect policy making. We survey this literature focusing on two main aspects. First, we discuss the literature studying h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnnual review of economics Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 473 - 494
Main Authors Battaglini, Marco, Patacchini, Eleonora
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Palo Alto Annual Reviews 01.01.2019
Annual Reviews, Inc
Subjects
Activism
Computer networks
Data collection
Economic models
family and ethnic networks
JEL D70
JEL D72
JEL D78
JEL D85
Legislatures
Lobbying
Mass media
Policy making
political economy
Political science
public protests
Social media
Social networks
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Summary:Recent advances in data collection, computing power, and theoretical modeling have stimulated a growing literature in economics and political science studying how social networks affect policy making. We survey this literature focusing on two main aspects. First, we discuss the literature studying how (and if) social connections in Congress affect legislative behavior. We then discuss how social connections affect the relationship between policy makers and the outside world, focusing on lobbying; the importance of family, caste, and ethnic networks; and social media and public activism. In our discussion, we highlight the key methodological challenges in this literature, how they have been addressed, and the prospects for future research.
ISSN:1941-1383
1941-1391
DOI:10.1146/annurev-economics-080218-030419