New Frontiers in Network Theory Development

Abstract

This special topic forum, commissioned to stimulate theory development on building effective networks, contains eleven papers spanning the micro, meso, macro, and meta levels of analysis. Each paper breaks new ground; collectively, they suggest that we are at a crossroads in network research. Important opportunities remain, however, for further work in network theory development, and we highlight major gaps relating to network theory's scope and mission, accessibility, integration with other perspectives, and attention to process and internationalization issues.