The Social Networks of Leaders in More or Less Viable Communities Six Years Later: A Research Note¹

Abstract

Using 1995 data, this study re-examines the social networks of leaders in five more and less viable rural communities in Missouri which were originally studied in 1989 (O'Brien et al. 1991;O'Brien and Hassinger 1992). In the six year period between the 1989 and 1995 surveys, four of the five communities were impacted by major events, including the introduction of corporate hog production in two places and flooding in two others. However, despite these events, there is a high degree of continuity in the relative viability scores of the five places in the two surveys. Leaders in more viable places continue to work with a larger number of fellow leaders and to be more involved in community development organizations than their counterparts in less viable places. These findings show the importance of social capital for rural community viability.

Applying Diffusion of Innovation Theory to Intervention Development

“…Opinion leaders tend to be nearby those they influence (Coleman, Katz, & Menzel, 1966; Feder & Savastano, 2004; Greer, 1988), and perceived as influential (Hiss, MacDonald, & Davis, 1978; Weimann, 1994), credible (Lam & Schaubroeck, 2000), popular (Kelly et al, 1991), a near-peer friend (Booth & Knox, 1967), and accessible. Opinion leadership tends to be stable across time (O’Brien, Raedeke, & Hassinger, 1998), operates consistently across social systems such as hospitals (Soumerai et al, 1998), schools (Valente et al, 2003), and towns (Sen, 1969), as well as national level policy networks (Song & Miskel, 2005). …”

Evidence of a Housing Decision Chain in Rural Community Vitality*

“…Bolstering social cohesion among local business owners and increasing residents' participation in social and civic organizations contributes to community-level outcomes (Putman 1998). The social networks of leaders are associated with community viability; differences in these networks delineate success among rural communities with similar economic, ecological, and demographic conditions (O'Brien, Raedeke, and Hassinger 1998). Despite major events in the interim decade since O'Brien et al's 1998 study, ''leaders in more viable places continue to work with a larger number of fellow leaders and to be more involved in community development organizations than their counterparts in less viable places'' (109).…”

“…The model draws on several theoretical perspectives, including social-systems theory (Deacon and Firebaugh 1988) and resource-mobilization theory (Jenkins 1983;Warren 1978), to examine rural community vitality. In keeping with investigations by O'Brien et al (1991O'Brien et al ( , 1998, we define viable communities as those that provide basic everyday services and maintain a stable or growing population. Therefore, both physical and human resources provide the contextual underpinnings.…”

“…Resources within, labeled as endogenous, local, or horizontal, and outside resources, labeled as exogenous, external, or vertical, must be mobilized as inputs (Jenkins 1983;O'Brien et al 1998) to the community-development process. We included measures at community and county levels to highlight that the community context is influenced by the surrounding county.…”

“…However, the literature does not provide data to confirm the part that best practices play in community vitality. Furthermore, similar previous research examining the influence of networks in community viability did not include variables measuring housing activities and decisions (O'Brien et al 1991(O'Brien et al , 1998.…”