Europe and North America Regional GCED Network

several closed sub-groups, referred to as cliques, information is easily shared
within the cliques. However, broker intermediation is needed between cliques.
This implies that the nodes occupying the brokering position have a lot of
power, as they could use their network positions to their own advantage.
These networks, however, do not stand out for their level clustering and
triangulation in cliques, as revealed by the measures presented so far. It is also
difficult to separate the network into homogenous groups based on attributes or
triangulation patterns. Therefore, our interpretation is that we can classify these
networks as core-periphery (Borgatti & Everett, 2000). The main characteristic
of core-periphery is to have a densely connected group of actors at the centre
of the network, called the "core," and a loosely connected group of actors that
are in the least central position of the network, called the "periphery."
In Table 15, we present the core-periphery model results for the three networks
based on the core-periphery algorithm (Borgatti & Everett, 1999) present
in the software UCINET 1 . Table 15 shows that the metrics of the studied
networks matches how core-periphery typically functions. First, the number of
organizations in the core is smaller than in the periphery. Second, the density,
which is a function of the number of ties, is smaller in the periphery. Finally, the
meeting network is less close to the core-periphery model as it has a smaller
fit. This is consistent with the results presented in Table 13, where the meeting
network has an overall density too small to fit with a core-periphery model.
Table 15 : Core-periphery model results
Network
Core/
Periphery fit
(correlation)
#
organizations
core vs
periphery
#
ties core vs
periphery
Density core
vs
periphery
Information 0.5275 23 33 237 40 0.468 0.038
meeting 0.4417 14 42 64 34 0.352 0.020
cooperation 0.5256 13 43 92 78 0.590 0.043
This core-periphery model allows us to investigate further the function of the
GCED network. It is therefore important to identify the characteristics of the
organizations in the core and periphery. This is crucial, as the organizations
that are at the core of the network generally benefit from the dense flow of
information exchange, collaboration, and meetings.
Comparing the composition of core-periphery groups in regard to resources,
areas and typology of organizations did not show significant patterns. The
element that proved to be significant is the level of action of the organization.
1
NETWORK > CORE/PERIPHERY > CATEGORICAL(Borgatti, S.P., Everett, M.G. and Freeman, L.C. 2002)
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