Introduction

Member of ICS research line: Social Networks and Social Capital

Gerald Mollenhorst is Assistant Professor at the Dept. of Sociology at Utrecht Univeristy and Postdoc Researcher at the Dept. of Sociology at Stockholm University, Sweden.

In Utrecht, he works together with Beate Völker and Veronique Schutjens in the research project 'Life Chances of Firms and Neighborhoods'.

In Stockholm, he works together with Jens Rydgren and Christofer Edling in the research project 'Individual Life Chances in Social Context - A Longitudinal Multi-Methods Perspective on Social Constraints and Opportunities'.

Links

Department of Sociology at Utrecht University
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Utrecht University
Research Center ICS Utrecht
Research school Interuniversity Centre for
Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS)
Undergraduate sociology program (BA), UU (in Dutch)
Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS)
International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA)

CV

Education and Academic Degrees

2009  Ph.D. Sociology (cum laude), Utrecht University
2004  M.Sc. Sociology, Utrecht University
2002  B. of Economics, Windesheim Zwolle

Academic Positions

2011-present    Postdoc Researcher (0,5 fte),
                           Department of Sociology,
                           Stockholm University, Sweden
2009-present    Assistant Professor (0,5 fte),
                           Department of Sociology / ICS,
                           Utrecht University
2004-2009    Ph.D.candidate,
                           Department of Sociology / ICS,
                           Utrecht University

Introduction

Current Research

Life Chances of Firms and Neighborhoods.

Many activities of entrepreneurs/firms take place in their local environment, thereby affecting neighborhood social and physical order. At the same time, local networks and other social characteristics of neighborhood community influence a firm’s success. This implies that neighborhood social and physical order and firm success mutually influence each other. This research aims to explain the interdependencies between local entrepreneurs and neighborhood residents, the conditions for these interdependencies as well as their consequences for neighborhoods’ and firms’ life chances.

This research was initiated by Prof.dr. Beate Völker (Sociology, Utrecht University) and Dr. Veronique Schutjens (Economic Geography, Utrecht University) and funded by a High Potential Research Grant from Utrecht University. 


Ph.D. Research (2004-2009):

Networks in Contexts. How Meeting Opportunities Affect Personal Relationships

The social contexts we enter in daily life, such as the workplace, the family, the neighborhood, and associations, provide the ‘pool’ of available others for selecting personal network members. This means that with whom we work and socialize, with whom we become friends, and even whom we marry is not merely an individual decision, but also depends on conditions beyond ourselves. By examining how meeting in various social contexts affects the composition of personal networks, characteristics of relationships, the structure of networks, and changes in personal networks after seven years, I have shown that opportunities for contact affect personal relationships and networks.

Copies of the dissertation can be ordered - against payment and as long as stocks last - by sending me an email.

This research was part of the project Where Friends are Made. Contexts, Conditions, Consequences, which was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO, Innovational Research Incentives Scheme).

The empirical data I used in this research stem from two waves of The Survey of the Social Networks of the Dutch (SSND1: 1999/2000 and SSND2: 2006/2007). Promotores: Prof.dr. Beate Völker and Prof.dr. Henk Flap.

Courses

Bachelor Program:
- 'Problems and Theories in Sociology'
- 'Social Networks in Theory and Empirical Research'
- 'Sociological and Psychological Aspects of
   Organizations'
- Supervision of bachelor theses

Master Program:
- Supervision of (research) master theses

Contact Information