Compare methods

	Brokerage Analysis	Social Network Analysis
Field	Sociology	Network analysis
Family	Process / pipeline	Machine learning
Year of origin	1989	1934 (sociometry); 1994 (modern formalization)
Originator	Roger Gould & Roberto Fernandez	Moreno, J.L.; formalized by Wasserman & Faust
Type	Classification of intermediary positions in a network	Structural/relational analysis framework
Seminal source	Gould, R. V., & Fernandez, R. M. (1989). Structures of mediation: A formal approach to brokerage in transaction networks. Sociological Methodology, 19, 89–126.	Wasserman, S. & Faust, K. (1994). Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 978-0-521-38707-1
Aliases	Gould-Fernandez brokerage, brokerage roles, brokerage typology, structures of mediation	SNA, network analysis, sociometric analysis, relational analysis
Related	5	5
Summary	Gould-Fernandez brokerage analysis classifies the intermediary positions actors occupy in a network. For every two-path in which an actor v sits between a source i and a target j, the analysis labels v's role according to the group memberships of the three actors, yielding five distinct brokerage types — coordinator, itinerant broker (consultant), gatekeeper, representative, and liaison. Counting how often each actor plays each role reveals who mediates within groups, who controls access across group boundaries, and who bridges otherwise separate communities.	Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a structural method that maps and measures relationships and flows between people, groups, organizations, or other entities modeled as nodes connected by ties (edges). Rather than focusing on individual attributes, SNA reveals how the pattern of connections shapes behavior, influence, information flow, and outcomes within a system.