Databases, network analysis and business history

Abstract

This article discusses the application of Social Network Analysis (SNA) to corporate networks in a long-term and historical perspective. Starting with the basic concepts of corporate networks and the main research themes it has addressed in business history, the article then introduces how historical quantitative archival data can be played with and turned into excel data suitable for the study of social networks by using software such as UCINET. The article then provides two examples of how this methodology has been used at both the macro and the micro levels: national corporate networks in Argentina and Chile from 1900 to 2010 and the social club memberships, partnership ties, and interlocking directorates of J.P. Morgan & Co. in the early twentieth century. Finally, the article discusses new perspectives for the application of SNA in business history.