| October 2006 |
- Networks and Capacity.
A theme paper prepared for the study ‘Capacity, Change and
Performance’ Suzanne Taschereau and Joe Bolger. September 2006.
This paper aims to contribute to the conceptual understanding of
capacity and capacity development in networks and to explore
implications for practice. The paper is now out in final draft
and is about to be published . The paper responds to the following
questions:
1. What distinguishes networks from other organizational forms?
2. What capabilities are needed to make them work effectively?
3. How do these capabilities develop over time?
4. What are some of the implications for addressing capacity issues in
networks, including choices of intervention strategies?
The paper draws on in depth cases undertaken in the context of the
ECDPM study on Capacity, Change and Performance and on the broader
literature on networks that is grounded in development practice.
A number of core
capabilities that are needed to make networks work effectively are reviewed and supported with examples. (Posted 23/10/06)
|
| August 2006 |
- Application
of Social
Network Analysis to Understand De facto Conservation of Agro
Biodiversity on farm – a Case of Kaski Nepal.
Poudel,
Diwakar, Shrestha, Pratap K. Basnet, Arjun, Sthapit, Bhuwan R. Subedi ,
Anil Nepal. [to be present at the he 3rd conference on Applications of
Social Network Analysis (ASNA 2006) is hosted by the Institute of Mass
Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich. 5/6
October 2006] This paper explores the application of social network
analysis approach to understand the de facto conservation of local crop
genetic resources in the community and implication of such networks and
nodal farmers for enhancing biodiversity on farm. The study was
conducted in Begnas and Khola ko chhew village of the Kaski in in situ
conservation project sites, which employed network data collection
through a sociometric survey using snowball-sampling technique.
Information on sex and socio-economic stratum of the farmers, the
varieties, and the means of flow of materials was colleted. The
findings of the ‘farmers’ network
analysis’ suggest
that the major portion of the rice seed flow in the community occurs in
exchanging and bartering system. More than 50% of the rice seed flow is
occurring in the form of exchange, followed by gift and purchase Such
informal seed flow occurs through the nodal farmers creating
farmers’ network of seed. The study suggested that there
exist
large networks of farmers with many farmers in the links, small
networks (few farmers connected to the links), and sub networks (many
smaller networks in the larger network) for the seeds and information
in the community. The farmers’ network is found very helpful
in
supplying seeds and genetic material to all the farmers of the
different social and economic stratum reaching to the poor and
disadvantaged members of the community. The farmers’ network
works in the principle of social interdependence and culture and
customs of the society rather than economic incentives. (Posted
12/08/06)
- Sitki Corbacioglu and Naim Kapucu, “Intergovernmental Relations in
Response to the 1999 Marmara Earthquake in Turkey: A Network Analysis,”
International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters.
Volume
23(3): 73*102. Abstract This research examines the intergovernmental
coordination to reduce vulnerability of local communities to disasters.
Turkeys exposure to seismic risk is very high and achieving
intergovernmental coordination in response operations is a challenge.
The formal bureaucratic structure of the disaster management inhibits
timely collective action in complex disaster environments. The paper
examines one of the most destructive regional disasters of the last
century, the 1999 Marmara earthquake. The research uses data from
content analyses of news reports, interviews with public and nonprofit
managers, and direct field observations. This analysis was carried out
using UCINET 6.0 social network analysis software program. The results
of the network analysis have shown that there is a problem of
communication and coordination among public agencies in response to the
disaster. Moreover, the integration of organizations from different
jurisdictions and other sectors was problematic in the response
operations. The results of the study reveal the leverage points for
improving intergovernmental collective action from the perspective of
complex adaptive systems theory. (AA) (Posted 04/08/06)
|
| July 2006 |
- Social
Capital, Networks And Economic Development. An Analysis of Regional
Productive Systems.
María Semitiel García, Reader in Economics,
University of
Murcia, Spain. The book includes a first theoretical part,
discussing the use of the
network methodology to analyse economic systems and economic
development, and a second applied part, analysing regional productive
systems. There is also a discussion about the relationship between
social capital and economic development. In general, the book is
structured as follows:
1.-
Introduction
2.-
The Network Perspective and the Concept of Productive System
3.-
Data Characteristics and Methods Explanation
4.-
Regional Productive Structures and Production Systems
5.-
Regional Productive Systems and Development Processes
6.-
Conclusions. (Posted 16/07/06)
|
| April 2006 |
- Learning
from doing participatory rural
research: Lessons from the
Peak District National Park Dougill, A.J.*,
Fraser, E.D.G. , Holden, J., Hubacek, K. , Prell, C.,
Reed, M.S. , Stagl,S and Stringer, L.C. Abstract
"Understanding
the socio-economic and environmental
implications of rural change requires the active participation of many
research
disciplines and stakeholders. However, it remains unclear how to best
integrate
participatory and biophysical research to provide information useful to
land
managers and policy makers. This paper presents findings of a RELU
scoping
study that has formulated and applied a research framework based on
stakeholder
participation and adaptive learning to model rural change in the Peak
District
National Park in the north of England. The paper describes a learning
process
that integrates different types of knowledge to produce future
scenarios that describe
possible economic and environmental changes due to a national review of
burning
practices on heather moorland and blanket bogs. We stress the need for
using
social network analysis to structure stakeholder engagement
and outline
how a
range of participatory approaches can facilitate more inclusive
environmental
planning and policy development." (28/04/06)
- Communication
network analysis as a tool for participatory intervention to reduce
mercury exposure – Brazilian Amazon
Mertens F,
Mergler D, Saint-Charles J, Lucotte M, Passos CJ, Morais S and Gaspar
E. International
Forum on Ecosystem approaches to human health, Montreal, Canada, 18-23
May 2003.
|
| March
2006 |
- Social
capital and connectedness: Issues and implications for agriculture,
rural development and natural resource management in ACP countries 2003
Review paper for CTA Jules Pretty CTA Working Document Number 8032
Contents: Summary, 1 Why connectedness is
important, 2 What
is new about the social capital concept? , 3 Social capital and
livelihood asset, 4 Implications for development assistance, 5
Improvements in social capital in seven agricultural and natural
resource sectors, 6 Methodologies for operationalising social capital,
7 Priorities for technical assistance, Annexes: Summary of recent
social capital formation in agricultural and rural resource management
sectors., Criteria for the measurement of the evolution of
social
groups, References,Acronyms and abbreviations.
|
| December
2005 |
- Network
Approaches to Global Civil Society. Helmut Anheier
and Hagai Katz. "...our focus is on global civil society as a
transnational system of social networks and, methodologically speaking,
on analysing global civil society through the lens of network analysis.
We are interested in finding out how useful the various approaches and
tools of network analysis are for describing, analysing and
understanding global civil society." Being Chapter 4 of Global
Civil Society 2004/5 Anheier, Helmut, Marlies Glasius and
Mary Kaldor (eds.). London: Sage, 2004 (Posted 05/12/05)
|
| November
2005 |
-
Network Epidemiology: A Handbook for Survey Design
and Data Collection (International Studies in
Demography) Martina Morris (Editor) Hardcover 252 pages (March 18,
2004) # Publisher: Oxford University Press # Language: English # ISBN:
0199269017 Book Description For epidemiologists and public health
professionals, the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS has provoked a
fundamental re-examination of public health practices and the research
needed to support them. This book documents and explains one of the
remarkable breakthroughs in behavioural research design that has
emerged to confront this new challenge: the network survey. It
represents a paradigm shift in behavioural epidemiology, broadening the
focus from the traditional "knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP)"
of individuals to mapping the relational networks that spread
infection, and constrain behavioural change. Eight pioneering network
studies from around the world are reviewed, with an introduction that
lays out the basics of network survey design, and a glossary of network
terminology. (Posted 06/11/05)
|
| September
2005 |
- Community
Networking and Social Capital: Early Investigations Christina
Prell Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute * Contents * Introduction o
Overview: The Need for a Youth Database * Community Networking and
Social Capital * Social Network Analysis and Social Capital o Common
Networking Terminology o Social Network Analysts' View of Social
Capital * Method o Survey o Analysis * Results * Discussion o In-degree
Centrality o Betweeness Centrality * Conclusions * Footnotes *
References * Abstract This paper draws upon an ongoing study pertaining
to the early development of one component of a community network in the
city of Troy, New York, USA. The component under study is that of a
database to be distributed via a community network. Community
networking literature posits a relationship between social capital and
community networking, stating that community networking should
positively affect levels of social capital in a community. This article
begins exploring this relationship through reviewing the social capital
concept as presented in the literature. Measures are developed from the
field of social network analysis and applied to a group of community
members involved in this database project. Results show high levels of
in-degree centrality correlating with trustworthiness and resource
exchange, and betweeness centrality correlating with trustworthiness.
Although in-degree centrality proves to be the more useful measure for
purposes of studying community networking and social capital,
discussion is given to the surprising results found for betweeness
centrality. Introduction Community networking refers to the use of
compute (posted 06/09/05)
|
| June
2005 |
- Social
Networks in Ghana by Christopher R. Udry
Yale University udry@yale.edu
Timothy G. Conley University of Chicago tim.conley@gsb.uchicago.edu
May, 2004 Abstract: "In this chapter we examine social networks among
farmers in a developing country. We use detailed data on economic
activities and social interactions between people living in four study
villages in Ghana. It is clear that economic development in this region
is being shaped by the networks of information, capital and influence
that permeate these communities. This chapter explores the determinants
of these important economic networks. We first describe the patterns of
information, capital, labor and land transaction connections that are
apparent in these villages. We then discuss the interconnections
between the various economic networks. We relate the functional
economic networks to more fundamental social relationships between
people in a reduced form analysis. Finally, we propose an equilibrium
model of multi-dimensional network formation that can provide a
foundation for further data collection and empirical research." (Posted
20/06/05)
|
| May 2005 |
- International
NGOs and the Role of Network Centrality in Humanitarian
Aid Operations: A Case Study of Coordination During the 2000 Mozambique
Floods [ Authors: Moore S.1;
Eng E.2; Daniel M.3 Source: Disasters, December 2003, vol. 27, no. 4,
pp. 305-318(14) Publisher: Blackwell Publishing ] Abstract: "In
February 2000, Mozambique suffered its worst flooding in almost 50
years: 699 people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced. Over
49 countries and 30 international non-governmental organisations
provided humanitarian assistance. Coordination of disaster assistance
is critical for effective humanitarian aid operations, but limited
attention has been directed toward evaluating the system-wide structure
of inter-organisational coordination during humanitarian operations.
Network analysis methods were used to examine the structure of
inter-organisational relations among 65 non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) involved in the flood operations in Mozambique. Centrality
scores were used to estimate NGO-specific potential for aid
coordination and tested against NGO beneficiary numbers. The average
number of relief- and recovery-period beneficiaries was significantly
greater for NGOs with high relative to low centrality scores
(p<0.05). This report addresses the significance of these
findings in the context of the Mozambican 2000 floods and the type of
data required to evaluate system-wide coordination." Posted 18/05/05)
- Making
Humanitarian Relief Networks More Effective: Exploring the
Relationships Among Coordination, Trust and Sense Making
Paper prepared for Delivery at the Annual Conference of the Association
for Research on Non- Profit and Voluntary Associations Los Angeles,
California November 18-20, 2004 Max Stephenson Jr., Co-Director
Institute for Governance and Accountabilities School of Public and
International Affairs Virginia Tech 201 Architecture Annex Blacksburg,
Virginia 24061 U.S.A. 540-231-9932 mstephen@vt.edu
Abstract Effective coordination of humanitarian assistance activities
remains an elusive prize. This paper briefly addresses some of the
reasons for what is widely perceived as a coordination dilemma in
humanitarian affairs and then argues for a new conceptualization of the
issue. Rather than continue to ask that more authority be vested in a
single organization to secure coordination by control from the top,
this article contends that it may be timely to consider whether relief
organizations involved in addressing an emergency should be
re-conceived as constituting social networks and efforts made to secure
changes in their respective organizational cultures that encourage
coordination across institutional boundaries. Since such labors imply
the need to trust across organizational lines, the article explores
what forms and types of trust might be employed to encourage improved
coordination among relief institutions and how those relationships
could themselves be conceptualized." (posted 18/05/05)
|
| AUGUST
2004 |
- Third World Quarterly Publisher: Issue: Volume 25,
Number 5 / July 2004 Pages: 839 - 855 Networks
as transnational agents of development Leroi Henry,
Giles Mohan, Helen Yanacopulos Abstract: "The term network has become a
hallmark of the development industry. In principle networks have the
potential to provide a more flexible and non-hierarchical means of
exchange and interaction that is also more innovative, responsive and
dynamic, while overcoming spatial separation and providing scale
economies. Although the label 'networks' currently pervades discourses
about the relationships between organisations in development, there has
been surprisingly little research or theorisation of such networks.
This article is a critical evaluation of the claims of developmental
networks from a theoretical perspective. While networks are regarded as
a counter-hegemonic force, we argue that networks are not static
entities but must be seen as an ongoing and emergent process. Moreover,
theory overlooks power relationships within networks and is unable to
conceptualise the relationship between power and values. These
observations open up a research agenda that the authors are exploring
empirically in forthcoming publications". (Posted 03/08/04)
|
| JULY
2004 |
-
Mapped
In or Mapped Out?: The Romanian Poor in Inter-Household and Community
Networks by Maria Amelina , Dan Chiribuca ,
Stephen Knack Price: $ 15.00 English Paperback 96 pages 7 x 10
Published July 2004 ISBN: 0-8213-5888-X SKU: 15888 Publishers say "It
has been observed in Central European countries in general and in
Romania in particular that during transition strong social ties
connecting relatives, immediate friends and associates have become
stronger, while the weak ties connecting individuals and households
through professional and social associations have become weaker. In
this context, the poor are reported to be falling out of both types of
associations.
This title analyses patterns of economic and social interactions that
sustain the poor or, alternatively, isolate them yet further from other
households, from the communities in which they live and, by extension,
from social networks and economic opportunities. The study also
assesses interactions of the poor with local and central government in
terms of the level of trust and satisfaction with public officials, the
level of involvement in public actions and public decision-making and
the ability of local governments to respond to the needs of their
poorer constituency, especially in providing social assistance and
other Minimum Income Guarantee benefits. " See also
Better
a Hundred Friends than a Hundred Rubles?: Social Networks in
Transition-- The Kyrgyz Republic by Kathleen Kuehnast , Nora
Dudwick Price: $ 15.00 English Paperback 80 pages 7 x 10 Published June
2004 ISBN: 0-8213-5898-7 SKU: 15898 Publishers say "The study of social
networks in post-socialist countries is an important tool for bridging
the policy gap between macro-level economic strategies and micro-level
interventions. Better a Hundred Friends than a Hundred Rubles? examines
the impact of economic transition and poverty on social networks in the
Central Asian country of the Kyrgyz Republic. The findings of this
study illustrate the notable impact of poverty on the form and function
of informal social networks of the poor and non-poor. They reveal the
dynamics of how the poor both disengage from and are isolated by and
from the non-poor. The study further describes how the social networks
of poor and non-poor households have polarized and separated in a
process that parallels the sharp socioeconomic stratification that has
taken place since national independence in 1991. It also examines not
only how the networks have separated, but also how each has changed in
character. " Posted 15/07/04)
|
MAY
2004 |
- (This course has been and gone, but it may come
again) Course
on network development for agricultural innovation
at at the International
Agriculture Centre, Waageningen, Netherlands. (Rethinking
research, agribusiness, extension and farmers linkages) (61/40) Period:
01 March 2004 - 19 March 2004 Closing date for application: 15 January
2004 Fee for this course: € 2900 Code: 61/40 This course
focuses on the growing importance of networks to the agricultural
sector as a result of changes such as: greater market orientation;
privatisation and decentralisation of government services;
sustainability of resource management, quality concerns and global
trade regulations; livelihood issues; changes in extension; research
and development and attention to value adding and niche markets.
Analysing these trends readily reveals a vast number and diversity
among the groups, organisations and categories of players involved and
affected by agricultural development. Where once state funded research
and development dominated agricultural production and innovation
processes on the countryside, nowadays the nature of such processes is
rather dealt with as a complex of interaction networks between
producers, service suppliers, marketing groups and businesses, policy
makers, advisory services and a range of highly differentiated research
arrangements. Strategic partnerships between the private sector and the
public sector have become increasingly important. Communication flows
have become ever more important enabling transparency for relevant
research and development, interactive policy making and effective
advisory support with efficient mobilisation and use of natural and
human resources. In order to be conducive, institutional arrangements
turned out to be highly dependent on effective networking between the
different players. However, such networks often are only partially
developed or function poorly. In this complex setting this course
offers an opportunity to understand the process of change in a wider
context, to explore new approaches for agricultural innovation and to
develop skills and expertise necessary to improve the networking
capacity of all the organisations involved. (03/05/04)
|
APRIL
2004 |
- NETWORKS
OF PROTEST ON GLOBAL ISSUES IN GREECE 2002-3 Moses
A. Boudourides Iosif A. Botetzagias. For presentation at the ECPR Joint
Sessions of Workshops, Uppsala, April 13-18, 2004 Workshop No 8
“The Changing Structure of Civil Society"Abstract "Since the
late 1990s, civil society allover the world has exhibited an intense
pattern of protest activism in response to political events related to
a resistance towards neo-liberal globalization, advocating for peace
and contesting global policies of supra- national decision- making
incubated at various internatio nal summits. In our effort is to
analyze this type of civil society protest events taking place in
Greece during 2002-3, we have conducted a content analysis of data from
the Greek newspaper Eleftherotypia reporting on these events. In
particular, for each protest event, we have been coding a number of
different characteristics such as its time and place of occurrence,
issues (frames), organizations initiating and participating in the
event, protest forms (repertoires), claims voiced, targets and
addressees of the protest etc. Our goal is to identify the protest
networks emerging through and out of these protest events, to map their
structure and properties and to analyze the ways that the actors of
these networks are interweaving the mobilization structures in the
context of Greece during this period. For this purpose, drawing upon
the duality between organizations and protest events, we are studying
two types of affiliation networks: (i) networks of co-participating
organizations in the protest events and (ii) networks of
‘anti’-participating organizations – in
the sense that these organizations were deliberately avoiding to
participate at the same protest event together with other antagonistic
organizations, organizing instead their own
‘counter’-events. Furthermore, partitioning the
networks of protest according to the prevailing issue at the event, we
are trying to understand how anti- war, anti- globalization and
counter-summit mobilizations in Greece were related to each other in
terms of emergence of coalitions of structurally equivalent
organizations during various periods in 2002-3." (posted 13/04/2004)
|
| MARCH
2004 |
- Social
Networks and Risk Management Strategies in Poor Urban Communities: What
Do We Know? [MS
Word, 48KB] Michael Woolcock, and Vijayendra
Rao "We argue that a central message of the developed country urban
studies literature is that the nature and extent of social networks is
a key component of the risk management strategies of the poor, and that
a brief survey of the much smaller (and more recent) literature from
the developing world documents a parallel situation." (Woolcock
& Rao, 2001)" Full abstract available here
|
FEBRUARY
2004 |
- Using
Network Analysis to Understand Community-Based Programs: A Case Study
from Highland Madagascar. By Kirsten Stoebenau and
Thomas W. Valente Abstract: CONTEXT: Programs using community-based
distribution (CBD) of family planning services have had mixed success
in Sub-Saharan Africa. Knowledge about why these programs succeed or
fail is limited. METHODS: In 1999, a total of 159 women and men of
reproductive age were interviewed in a village in highland Madagascar
with an active community-based family planning program. Network
analysis informed by chi-square tests and multiple regression analysis
was used to test whether respondents’ communication with CBD
agents and the location of their discussion partners were associated
with their knowledge and use of family planning. RESULTS: The CBD
agents were highly central in the village’s family planning
network; 35% of women and 19% of men directly communicated with a CBD
agent about family planning or were indirectly linked to an agent.
Knowledge of family planning was associated with having either a direct
or an indirect link to a CBD agent; use of a modern method was
associated with discussing family planning only with someone outside
the village (odds ratio, 12.6) or with discussing it in the village and
communicating directly with a CBD agent (10.8). CONCLUSIONS: Network
analysis can improve the understanding of community-based program
functioning by providing a way to examine who receives information from
and is influenced by CBD agents. International Family Planning
Perspectives, 2003, 29(4):167–173" (posted 09/02/04)
|
Nov
2003 |
- (On Livelihoods Connect)
Integrated Questionnaire for the Measurement of Social Capital (SC-IQ)
"A questionnaire designed to capture the essence of social capital as
related to development. This tool is divided into two sections. The
first outlines conceptual understandings of social captial, and
sampling, data collection and analysis issues. The second identifies a
set of draft questions to provide a basis for measuring different
dimensions of social capital. The SC-IQ is designed for use by
researchers, evaluators, and managers of projects and programs, those
conducting poverty assessments or national social capital surveys, and
those developing national poverty reduction strategies. It is
especially designed for incorporation into other large household
surveys, such as the World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Survey
(LSMS). Importantly, this tool is not for first-time researchers; it
presumes a solid grasp of social research methods in general and survey
research tools in particular." (posted 29/11/03)
- Network
Analysis As A Tool For Assessing Employment Policy.
Gerd Beiderniki & Dietmar Paier. CEE - Centre for Education and
Economy, Graz, Austria 2003
|
Sept
2003 |
- Tapping into Existing Social Capital: Rich
Networks, Poor Connections. A package of three documents:
Research Findings (99 pages), User Guide (79 pages), Policy
Implications (11pages). 2003 By Erika Fraser, Allyson Thirkell Anne
McKay. Published by DFID and Social
Development Direct Email mail@sddirect.org.uk
"The document ...is one of the outputs of a two-year research project
sponsored by Engineering Knowledge and Research (EngKaR) in the UK
Department for International Development. The research was undertaken
by Social Development Direct, in collaboration with the Institute for
Participatory Interaction in Development (IPID) in Colombo and Sinani
(formerly known as the Programme for Survivors of Violence) in Durban.
The researchers worked with nine urban communities in Durban, South
Africa and Colombo, Sri Lanka in order to understand how existing
social capital operates according to them. (Posted 25/09/03)
|
July
2003 |
|