Structural Equivalence

Structural equivalence refers to the similarity of relationships between given network elements. In the literal sense, “structure” means the arrangement and mutual relationship of the elements which form the whole, that is, the construction of that whole. Structural research may include the structure of a phenomenon, such as network relationships or correlations of variables, or comparing the constructions of two or more objects over time, whereby they are studied over two or more periods. However, understanding the structure of relationships, especially long-term ones, has become an elementary research category. Modern research in the social and natural sciences, in which networks play a pivotal role, focuses on the structure of relations between elements. Structural equivalence is operationalized slightly differently in various analytical systems, but this entry ...