Networks can form around a variety of different concerns (scientific knowledge and
activism being just two examples). They may be impermanent, may meet irregularly, may
communicate in person or via a range of technologies, and may be comprised of different
kinds of members whose level of commitment varies over time, but this diversity in form
and appearance is not to take away from the substantive impact they can have on the
political landscape. Networks open channels of communication between different groups
and can serve as bridges, or “brokers” (Fernandez and Gould 1994), between different
social actors