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Network structure and attitudes toward collaboration in a community partnership for diabetes control on the US‐Mexican border

Keith G. Provan (School of Public Administration and Policy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA)
Jennel Harvey (School of Public Administration and Policy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA )
Jill Guernsey de Zapien (Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA)

Journal of Health Organization and Management

ISSN: 1477-7266

Article publication date: 1 December 2005

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Abstract

Purpose

This study seeks to provide an examination of a health policy network operating in a single, small community along the US‐Mexican border. The purpose of the paper is to discuss why and how this network evolved, and then to present findings on how the network was structured. Analysis will focus especially on agency involvement, or “embeddedness” in the network, and its relationship to attitudes held by network members regarding trust, reputation, and perceived benefit.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 15 public and nonprofit agencies trying to work collaboratively to influence local policy and services regarding the prevention of obesity‐related chronic disease, especially diabetes. Embeddedness was measured in three different ways and both confirmed and unconfirmed networks were assessed. Network analysis methods were utilized as well as nonparametric correlation statistics.

Findings

The network was found to be densely connected through unconfirmed linkages, but much less so when these links were confirmed. Strongest findings were found for shared information. Measures of agency embeddedness in the network were strong predictors of agency reputation, but findings for trust and perceived benefit were generally weak.

Originality/value

From a practice perspective, the study points to the problems in building and sustaining community‐based chronic disease health networks, especially in a small community with substantial health needs. The research also contributes to theory on embeddedness and to methodology for collecting and analyzing data on community health networks.

Keywords

Citation

Provan, K.G., Harvey, J. and Guernsey de Zapien, J. (2005), "Network structure and attitudes toward collaboration in a community partnership for diabetes control on the US‐Mexican border", Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 504-518. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777260510629706

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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