Over the River and Through the Woods:  Examining the Relationship between Network Structure, Collaboration and Geography

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dc.contributor.authorEdwards, Jaimie Elizabethen
dc.contributor.committeechairLemaire, Robin Hargroderen
dc.contributor.committeememberEckerd, Adam M.en
dc.contributor.committeememberHult, Karen M.en
dc.contributor.committeememberJensen, Laura Smietankaen
dc.contributor.departmentGovernment and International Affairsen
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-05T08:00:56Zen
dc.date.available2020-06-05T08:00:56Zen
dc.date.issued2020-06-04en
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation analyzes the relationship between network structure, collaboration, and geography among food security organizations in the New River Valley of Virginia. As a way to better understand how purpose-oriented, service-delivery networks, this case study of the Thrive network examines the relationship between geography and collaboration. The food security organizations within the region were mapped to determine the structure of the network and data was compared to the geography of the region. The findings suggest that food security organizations do find geography as a barrier to collaboration in three ways. First, these organizations see geography as a cost to collaboration due to the increased need for logistics and resources. Second, geography creates interorganizational political and cultural boundaries. Third, many food security organizations view geography as a barrier to collaboration in terms of its relationship between the organization and its clients. Organizations that saw value in collaboration between organizations within the network found ways to overcome the barriers of geography.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralNetworks enable organizations to work together in a way that helps solve social issues too large to be handled by single groups. This dissertation explores the way in which food security organizations collaborate in the New River Valley of Virginia and the ways in which this collaboration is impacted by geography. The findings suggest that geography is often an unclear concept that is conflated with multiple concepts such as organizational politics, client issues, and cultural boundaries, and that overcoming these barriers can be accomplished when goal congruence occurs.en
dc.description.degreeDoctor of Philosophyen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:26441en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/98752en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectpurpose-oriented networksen
dc.subjectgeographyen
dc.subjectservice-delivery networksen
dc.subjectCollaborationen
dc.titleOver the River and Through the Woods:  Examining the Relationship between Network Structure, Collaboration and Geographyen
dc.typeDissertationen
thesis.degree.disciplinePublic Administration/Public Affairsen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen

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