Multilevel embeddedness: The case of the global fisheries governance complex

This paper explores how bilateral and multilateral clustering are embedded in a multilevel system of interdependent networks. We argue that, in a complex system such as global fisheries governance, in which bilateral and multilateral relations are themselves interrelated, embeddedness cannot be reduced to unipartite or bipartite clustering but implicates potential multilevel closure. We elaborate expectations for ties’ multilevel embeddedness based on network theory and substantive knowledge, and explore them using a multilevel ERGM. We find states’ bilateral clustering is embedded in their shared membership in multilateral fisheries agreements, which is itself clustered around similar content and treaty secretariats.