Social network analysis methods for international development

Social network analysis methods for international development PDF Author: Eric M. Johnson
Publisher: RTI Press
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 10

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Book Description
Incorporate social network analysis (SNA) into monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes. SNA can be conducted at various points of a project to inform program design, adaptive management, learning, and evaluation by considering network structure and network changes over time. Demystify the use of SNA. Increased use of SNA tools and clear presentation in widely read publications are needed to bring the analytic approach into the mainstream of international development. Build capacity to conduct SNA. The capacity to conduct and interpret SNA is lacking across actors in international development. Efforts by some organizations to build capacity in the community are well noted and should be built upon. Build understanding of relationships between social networks and development outcomes. SNA will be useful only to the extent it helps users understand the relationship between networks and development outcomes that matter. Establish norms for data collection and identity protection. Data about individuals and their interactions with others are inherently sensitive data. As a part of standard research ethics protocols, SNA practitioners must make carefully considered decisions about how or if to anonymize data when reporting it.

Social network analysis methods for international development

Social network analysis methods for international development PDF Author: Eric M. Johnson
Publisher: RTI Press
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 10

Get Book

Book Description
Incorporate social network analysis (SNA) into monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes. SNA can be conducted at various points of a project to inform program design, adaptive management, learning, and evaluation by considering network structure and network changes over time. Demystify the use of SNA. Increased use of SNA tools and clear presentation in widely read publications are needed to bring the analytic approach into the mainstream of international development. Build capacity to conduct SNA. The capacity to conduct and interpret SNA is lacking across actors in international development. Efforts by some organizations to build capacity in the community are well noted and should be built upon. Build understanding of relationships between social networks and development outcomes. SNA will be useful only to the extent it helps users understand the relationship between networks and development outcomes that matter. Establish norms for data collection and identity protection. Data about individuals and their interactions with others are inherently sensitive data. As a part of standard research ethics protocols, SNA practitioners must make carefully considered decisions about how or if to anonymize data when reporting it.

Social Network Analysis Methods for International Development

Social Network Analysis Methods for International Development PDF Author: Eric Johnson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a promising yet underutilized tool in the international development field. SNA entails collecting and analyzing data to characterize and visualize social networks, where nodes represent network members and edges connecting nodes represent relationships or exchanges among them. SNA can help both researchers and practitioners understand the social, political, and economic relational dynamics at the heart of international development programming. It can inform program design, monitoring, and evaluation to answer questions related to where people get information; with whom goods and services are exchanged; who people value, trust, or respect; who has power and influence and who is excluded; and how these dynamics change over time. This brief advances the case for use of SNA in international development, outlines general approaches, and discusses two recently conducted case studies that illustrate its potential. It concludes with recommendations for how to increase SNA use in international development.

Research Methods in Social Network Analysis

Research Methods in Social Network Analysis PDF Author: Linton C. Freeman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351493353
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 542

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Book Description
Since the publication of Herbert Spencer's Principles of Sociology in 1875, the use of social structure as a defining concept has produced a large body of creative speculations, insights, and intuitions about social life. However, writers in this tradition do not always provide the sorts of formal definitons and propositions that are the building blocks of modern social research. In its broad-ranging examination of the kind of data that form the basis for the systematic study of social structure, Research Methods in Social Network Analysis marks a significant methodological advance in network studies.As used in this volume, social structure refers to a bundle of intuitive natural language ideas and concepts about patterning in social relationships among people. In contrast, social networks is used to refer to a collection of precise analytic and methodological concepts and procedures that facilitate the collection of data and the systematic study of such patterning. Accordingly, the book's five sections are arranged to address analytical problems in a series of logically ordered stages or processes.The major contributors define the fundamental modes by which social structural phenomena are to be represented; how boundaries to a social structure are set; how the relations of a network are measured in terms of structure and content; the ways in which the relational structure of a network affects system actors; and how actors within a social network are clustered into cliques or groups. The chapters in the last section build on solutions to problems proposed in the previous sections. This highly unified approach to research design combined with a representative diversity of viewpoints makes Research Methods in Social Network Analysis a state-of-the-art volume.

Social Network Analysis

Social Network Analysis PDF Author: Stanley Wasserman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521387071
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 852

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Book Description
Social network analysis is used widely in the social and behavioral sciences, as well as in economics, marketing, and industrial engineering. The social network perspective focuses on relationships among social entities and is an important addition to standard social and behavioral research, which is primarily concerned with attributes of the social units. Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications reviews and discusses methods for the analysis of social networks with a focus on applications of these methods to many substantive examples. It is a reference book that can be used by those who want a comprehensive review of network methods, or by researchers who have gathered network data and want to find the most appropriate method by which to analyze it. It is also intended for use as a textbook as it is the first book to provide comprehensive coverage of the methodology and applications of the field.

Challenges in Social Network Research

Challenges in Social Network Research PDF Author: Giancarlo Ragozini
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030314634
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
The book includes both invited and contributed chapters dealing with advanced methods and theoretical development for the analysis of social networks and applications in numerous disciplines. Some authors explore new trends related to network measures, multilevel networks and clustering on networks, while other contributions deepen the relationship among statistical methods for data mining and social network analysis. Along with the new methodological developments, the book offers interesting applications to a wide set of fields, ranging from the organizational and economic studies, collaboration and innovation, to the less usual field of poetry. In addition, the case studies are related to local context, showing how the substantive reasoning is fundamental in social network analysis. The list of authors includes both top scholars in the field of social networks and promising young researchers. All chapters passed a double blind review process followed by the guest editors. This edited volume will appeal to students, researchers and professionals.

Social Networks: Analysis and Case Studies

Social Networks: Analysis and Case Studies PDF Author: Şule Gündüz-Öğüdücü
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3709117976
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
The present volume provides a comprehensive resource for practitioners and researchers alike-both those new to the field as well as those who already have some experience. The work covers Social Network Analysis theory and methods with a focus on current applications and case studies applied in various domains such as mobile networks, security, machine learning and health. With the increasing popularity of Web 2.0, social media has become a widely used communication platform. Parallel to this development, Social Network Analysis gained in importance as a research field, while opening up many opportunities in different application domains. Forming a bridge between theory and applications makes this work appealing to both academics and practitioners as well as graduate students.

Working with Assumptions in International Development Program Evaluation

Working with Assumptions in International Development Program Evaluation PDF Author: Apollo M. Nkwake
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030330044
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
This book discusses the crucial place that assumptions hold in conceptualizing, implementing, and evaluating development programs. It suggests simple ways for stakeholders and evaluators to 1) examine their assumptions about program theory and environmental conditions and 2) develop and carry out effective program monitoring and evaluation in light of those assumptions. A survey of evaluators from an international development agency reviewed the state of practice on assumptions-aware evaluation. This 2nd edition has been updated with further illustrations, case studies, and frameworks that have been researched and tested in the years since the first edition. Regardless of geography or goal, development programs and policies are fueled by a complex network of implicit ideas. Stakeholders may hold assumptions about purposes, outcomes, methodology, and the value of project evaluation and evaluators—which may or may not be shared by the evaluators. A major barrier to viable program evaluations is that development programs are based on assumptions that often are not well articulated. In designing programs, stakeholders often lack clear outlines for how implemented interventions will bring desired changes. This lack of clarity masks critical risks to program success and makes it challenging to evaluate such programs. Methods that have attempted to address this dilemma have been popularized as theory of change or other theory‐based approaches. Often, however, theory-based methods do not sufficiently clarify how program managers or evaluators should work with the assumptions inherent in the connections between the steps. The critical examination of assumptions in evaluation is essential for effective evaluations and evaluative thinking. "How does one think evaluatively? It all begins with assumptions. Systematically articulating, examining, and testing assumptions is the foundation of evaluative thinking... This book, more than any other, explains how to build a strong foundation for effective interventions and useful evaluation by rigorously working with assumptions." —Michael Quinn Patton, PhD. Author of Utilization-Focused Evaluation and co-editor of THOUGHTWORK: Thinking, Action, and the Fate of the World, USA. "This updated edition presents us with a new opportunity to delve into both the theoretical and practical aspects of paradigmatic, prescriptive, and causal assumptions. We need to learn, and apply these insights with the deep attention they deserve." —Zenda Ofir, PhD. Independent Evaluator, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, Robert Bosch Academy, Berlin, Germany. Honorary Professor, School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. “This thought-provoking book explains why assumptions are an essential condition within the theories and methodologies of evaluation; and how assumptions influence the ways that evaluators approach their work...It will enrich the ways that evaluators develop their models, devise their methodologies, interpret their data, and interact with their stakeholders.” —Jonny Morell, Ph.D., President, 4.669... Evaluation and Planning, Editor Emeritus, Evaluation and Program Planning

The Influence of Technology on Social Network Analysis and Mining

The Influence of Technology on Social Network Analysis and Mining PDF Author: Tansel Özyer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3709113466
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 652

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Book Description
The study of social networks was originated in social and business communities. In recent years, social network research has advanced significantly; the development of sophisticated techniques for Social Network Analysis and Mining (SNAM) has been highly influenced by the online social Web sites, email logs, phone logs and instant messaging systems, which are widely analyzed using graph theory and machine learning techniques. People perceive the Web increasingly as a social medium that fosters interaction among people, sharing of experiences and knowledge, group activities, community formation and evolution. This has led to a rising prominence of SNAM in academia, politics, homeland security and business. This follows the pattern of known entities of our society that have evolved into networks in which actors are increasingly dependent on their structural embedding General areas of interest to the book include information science and mathematics, communication studies, business and organizational studies, sociology, psychology, anthropology, applied linguistics, biology and medicine.

Models and Methods in Social Network Analysis

Models and Methods in Social Network Analysis PDF Author: Peter J. Carrington
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781139443432
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
Models and Methods in Social Network Analysis, first published in 2005, presents the most important developments in quantitative models and methods for analyzing social network data that have appeared during the 1990s. Intended as a complement to Wasserman and Faust's Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications, it is a collection of articles by leading methodologists reviewing advances in their particular areas of network methods. Reviewed are advances in network measurement, network sampling, the analysis of centrality, positional analysis or blockmodelling, the analysis of diffusion through networks, the analysis of affiliation or 'two-mode' networks, the theory of random graphs, dependence graphs, exponential families of random graphs, the analysis of longitudinal network data, graphical techniques for exploring network data, and software for the analysis of social networks.

Knowledge System Development

Knowledge System Development PDF Author: Jana C. Hertz
Publisher: RTI Press
ISBN: 1934831298
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
Knowledge System Development: Insights from Indonesia and International Applications illustrates how knowledge systems work in the evidence-based policy making process and the dynamics of different actors in the ecosystem. Applying the Knowledge System Model 2.0 in Indonesia and in selected international case studies, it explores key issues and dynamics in the knowledge-to-policy process in Indonesia and offers important insights for application in other country contexts. Written from the unique vantage point of knowledge system actors themselves in cooperation with development practitioners and researchers, the book captures efforts to clarify the roles of different actors in the knowledge system and how they interacted to influence policy. When the actors and institutions in the knowledge system interact and challenge each other to articulate and commit to a shared purpose, it is easier to navigate the inherent tensions between technical solutions and political objectives to advance the reform agenda. Intermediaries in the knowledge system can play an important role in facilitating the interactions between these actors and institutions.