Krug G (2012)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2012
Publisher: Elsevier
Book Volume: 34
Pages Range: 527-533
Journal Issue: 4
DOI: 10.1016/j.socnet.2012.05.002
Chua (2011) argues that in a meritocratic context, institutions restrict the usefulness of social networks in exerting influence on job seekers' earnings. Regressing job-finding via personal contacts on earnings, he finds negative effects of influence via personal contacts, especially for the well-educated and individuals working in the state sector. In this comment, I argue that these results are ambiguous because (1) the analysis does not sufficiently distinguish between job 'search' methods and job 'finding' methods, (2) job-finding method indicates information flow rather than a personal contact's influence, and (3) it remains unclear whether Chua's analysis reflects the effect of network usage in job search per se or the effect of self-selection into network usage by individuals with low earning potential. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
APA:
Krug, G. (2012). (When) Is job-finding via personal contacts a meaningful concept for social network analysis? A comment to Chua (2011). Social Networks, 34(4), 527-533. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2012.05.002
MLA:
Krug, Gerhard. "(When) Is job-finding via personal contacts a meaningful concept for social network analysis? A comment to Chua (2011)." Social Networks 34.4 (2012): 527-533.
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