A Multidimensional Network Approach to Financial Organization of Life Outcomes

This project examines how financial and organizational structures shape residential and economic outcomes in rural counties in mining and farm-dependent states. The investigators develop and link global and local financial and organizational patterns in the mining and farming industries and use a variety of methods to predict the impact of these on local ecological outcomes. By linking global financial networks to the lived experiences of rural communities, the research informs concrete strategies for mitigating outcomes that negatively affect these communities. Graduate and undergraduate students are included in the project and the experience lets them gain valuable skills useful for future jobs and careers. The project benefits communities through partnerships with local organizations and public dissemination. The project uses quantitative and qualitative data to study the ownership and finance structures of four mining and farm-dependent case-study counties across two key coal producing and agricultural/farming states. The investigators compile a dataset of agricultural and energy operators and owners in these localities, tracking financial relationships and governance structures in a variety of databases. The analysis paves the way for the identification of intra- and inter-organizational network patterns such as the funding dependencies and centralized decision-making processes. Social network analysis and Autologistic Actor Attribute Models are used to examine how characteristics of networks shape social-ecological outcomes. Semi-structured interviews in study counties document social-ecological relationships unrecognized in prevailing measures of environmental, social and corporate governance. Qualitative insights, combined with quantitative network data, enable the team to construct network simulation models in which alternative arrangements that facilitate conducive ecological and environmental outcomes are modeled. Results are shared through academic dissemination, community outreach, and an information source platform. This project is jointly funded by the Sociology Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.