Small-World Phenomenon of Global Open-Source Software Collaboration on GitHub: A Social Network Analysis

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Zhang, G., Schuessler, J. H., & Shao, C. Y. (2025). Small-World Phenomenon of Global Open-Source Software Collaboration on Github: A Social Network Analysis. Journal of Global Information Management (JGIM), 33(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.4018/JGIM.387412

Keywords: open-source software, GitHub, social network analysis, small-world networks, digital collaboration, software innovation, global economies

Dr. Joseph H. Schuessler

Dr. Joseph H. Schuessler

Dr. Chris Shao, Marketing professor

Dr. Chris Shao

Introduction: Open-Source Isn’t Just Code—It’s Global Strategy

When people think about open-source software (OSS), they often picture individual developers in dark rooms writing code late into the night. But the real story is far bigger—and far more global.

Today, platforms like GitHub serve as digital meeting grounds for coders, companies, and even entire economies. Contributions come not just from tech giants in Silicon Valley, but from engineers in Kenya, startups in Estonia, and universities in Brazil. What’s powering this cross-border collaboration?

And more importantly for business leaders: how do you position your organization—or your country—to win in this new, network-driven world of innovation?

Our study set out to answer that question. By analyzing three years of collaboration data from GitHub, we mapped out how economies around the world are connected through OSS projects. What we found was surprising—even thrilling.

Yes, GitHub behaves like a small-world network. But that doesn’t just mean it’s efficient—it means you don’t have to be a global giant to be globally important.

What Is a “Small-World” Network—and Why Should You Care?

The small-world phenomenon is a simple but powerful idea: in a tightly connected network, even distant players can reach each other quickly through just a few connections. Think “six degrees of separation,” but for code.

Why does this matter?

In a small-world network:

  • Innovation spreads faster.
  • Partnerships form more easily.
  • Influence can scale—even from small starting points.

If you’re a CIO, a tech founder, or a government leader building your digital economy, knowing how your region or organization fits into this network is key. The rules of the game have changed—and we now have data to prove it.

What We Did

We used GitHub’s Innovation Graph—a rich dataset of real development activity from 2020 to 2023. We tracked collaboration events (like code pushes and pull requests) across nearly 190 economies.

Then we used social network analysis tools to uncover:

  • Which economies are most central to global collaboration
  • How they’re connected to each other
  • Whether the overall structure behaves like a small-world

This isn’t theory—it’s the real blueprint of digital collaboration happening right now.

What We Found

1. GitHub Is a Global Small-World

The network scores very high on “small-worldness.” That means economies are densely interconnected, and it doesn’t take many hops to reach anyone from anywhere.

Translation: Good ideas and code can spread faster than ever—no matter where they start.

2. You Don’t Need Size to Be Central

Some of the usual suspects—like the U.S. and China—do play central roles. But we found several smaller economies punching way above their weight in the collaboration network.

Takeaway: You don’t need millions of developers to matter. Strategic engagement and smart partnerships can elevate your influence in global OSS development.

3. Activity Alone Doesn’t Equal Influence

Just having more developers or more GitHub repositories doesn’t automatically make a country central in the network. That’s because influence depends on who you’re connected to, not just how much you produce.

For companies: It’s not enough to crank out code—you need to connect with key players and ecosystems.

4. OSS Collaboration Networks Are Surprisingly Stable

We expected major shifts due to COVID, economic turbulence, and political instability. Instead, we found that collaboration communities remained about 90% stable over the three years.

Implication: Once you’ve established your place in the global network, it tends to stick. But that also means if you’re not engaging now, you’re falling behind.

Why It Matters for Business and Government

This study isn’t just academic. It has real implications for:

  • Tech companies looking to grow their developer reach
  • Governments aiming to grow their digital economies
  • Universities building global research partnerships
  • Startups wanting to scale through open-source

Here’s the big idea: OSS is more than a technical asset—it’s a strategic one. And success in open-source isn’t just about writing great code. It’s about understanding how to move within a global network of collaboration, innovation, and influence.

So What Should You Do?

If you’re in leadership—at a company, a university, or a country—here are a few moves worth making:

  • Map your network: Understand who you’re collaborating with, and how strategically important those partners are in the global OSS landscape.
  • Invest in OSS engagement: Sponsor open-source contributions, not just consumption.
  • Teach network fluency: Help your teams understand the value of collaboration—not just execution.
  • Look beyond the big players: Some of the most influential economies in OSS are not the largest—they’re the most connected.

Final Thought

Open-source is rewriting the rules of business—and the map of global influence. Whether you’re leading a startup in Austin, a ministry in Nairobi, or a university in Singapore, you’re part of this network.

And thanks to platforms like GitHub—and networks that behave like small worlds—you’re only a few connections away from your next innovation breakthrough.

Alignment with U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: By mapping collaborative software development across economies, this study supports the creation of robust innovation infrastructure and equal access to digital participation.

Goal 17 – Partnerships for the Goals: The research champions international cooperation and knowledge-sharing, revealing that even small economies can play central roles in global innovation through open collaboration platforms.

Classification of Scholarship

This research aligns with Basic or Discovery Scholarship and Applied or Integration/Application Scholarship as defined by AACSB.

Applied or Integration/Application Scholarship: The findings have clear practical implications for policymakers, global organizations, and educators. By identifying how economies can position themselves more strategically within OSS networks, the study offers actionable guidance to improve global collaboration, innovation capacity, and digital infrastructure.

Basic or Discovery Scholarship: The study contributes new theoretical insights into global open-source collaboration networks by validating the existence of the small-world phenomenon at the economy level. It advances our understanding of how digital collaboration structures form and function globally.

Journal Quality Indicators

  • ABDC Ranking: A
  • JCR Impact Factor: 3.9
  • Google Scholar h-5 Score: NA
  • SciMago h-index: 50
  • ABS: Yes
  • Cabell’s Acceptance Rate: 24%
  • Indexed by
    • Cabell’s: Yes
    • EBSCO: Yes
    • SCOPUS: Yes
    • JIF: Yes
    • SCIMago: Yes
    • ERIC: No
    • Westlaw: No
    • LexisNexis: No
    • Ulrich’s: Yes