A key puzzle in social network research is why people have networks in theory but fail to extract resources from them in practice. We propose the concept of mobilization capacity—one’s efficiency in extracting resources from networks—to help explain this gap. Mobilization capacity involves several critical microprocesses that account for what often appears as error in network models, given that having a network structure does not precisely translate into attaining outcomes. The determinants of mobilization capacity arise at actor- and relational- levels. Actor-level determinants include the actor’s willingness to seek network resources and ability to accurately locate network resources. Relational determinants involve cooperative intent in the relationship and the ability to successfully exchange resources within that interaction. Using these dimensions, we consider how actors realize or degrade their structural potential as they attempt to capture value from their networks. We conclude with an illustrative example of the Matthew effect by describing how each component of mobilization capacity compounds structural advantage, with the structurally rich enjoying efficiencies in resource extraction and the structurally poor further disadvantaged, which increases inequality.

中文翻译：

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动员能力：追踪从拥有网络到获取资源的路径


社交网络研究的一个关键谜题是，为什么人们在理论上拥有网络，但在实践中却无法从中提取资源。我们提出了动员能力的概念，即一个人从网络中提取资源的效率，以帮助解释这一差距。动员能力涉及几个关键的微过程，这些过程解释了网络模型中经常出现的错误，因为拥有网络结构并不能精确地转化为获得结果。动员能力的决定因素出现在行为者和关系层面。参与者级别的决定因素包括参与者寻求网络资源的意愿和准确定位网络资源的能力。关系决定因素涉及关系中的合作意图以及在该交互中成功交换资源的能力。使用这些维度，我们考虑了参与者在试图从其网络中获取价值时如何实现或降低其结构潜力。我们以马太效应的一个说明性例子作为结论，描述了动员能力的每个组成部分如何复合结构性优势，结构丰富的人享受着资源开采的效率，而结构性贫穷的人则进一步处于不利地位，这加剧了不平等。