Structural aspects of the cooperation among researchers in the field of public sector management and social management: analysis of institution networks in Brazil

Abstract

This article examines, through network analysis, the relationship structure of rese- arch institutions in the field of public sector management and social management in Brazil. The relationship between research institutions is identified based on the institutional affiliations of the authors, by analyzing 549 papers published in the annals of the Anpad annual meeting, from 2000 to 2005. Aided by the Ucinet 6.0 and Pajek 1.10 software, the relationship network was established, making it pos- sible to examine not only the structural and positional properties of the network, but also the influence of the network structure on the scientific production. It was found that, despite the network's low density, the distance between institutions is small, with a much larger central component. In most cases, it can be suggested that the institutions that have the higher number of loops are globally centered and are also important to the network's cohesion. Most loops occur between institutions in the same state. Moreover, the network structure is directly correlated with the production indicators.