Several analysts have proposed that state policy-making structures and processes are realizations of networks of resource exchanges among key actors (Heclo, 1978; Lehmbruch, 1984; Wilks and Wright, 1987; Laumann and Knoke, 1987; Broadbent, 1989b; Marin, 1991; Pappi, 1993). These relations are asymmetrical interactions that enable one social actor to affect another's behavior. Peter Marsden articulated a basic goal of such inquiries: “Of particular concern in establishing a link between structure and action is the question of how positions in social structure are transformed into disparities in power among actors” (1982: 201).

We conceptualize the policy networks of the U.S., German, and Japanese national labor policy domains as communication and political support relations among interested organizations that seek to influence public policy decisions. This chapter derives research expectations from the organizational state perspective and from the distinct cultural-historical institutions of the three nations. Next, we examine the global spatial structures of the communication and political support networks among core labor policy organizations, paying special attention to their center and periphery locations. Finally, we use structural equation methods to estimate the relationships of network centralities to organizational reputations and their legislative policy activities.

The struggle over collective decisions involves numerous interactions among organizational state participants, which permits their conceptualization and analysis as networks of exchange relations. Some organizations control scarce political resources that are highly valued by others. Resource-rich organizations typically exchange their resources for the cooperation and support of their exchange partners.