Introduction to Social Network Analysis

Network Theory Economic activity is intrinsically related

to social structures which has led to development agencies’ interest in social capital

The position of an actor in the network influences their ability to access resources such as goods, capital and information

Well connected actors have better access to information and other resources and therefore have more opportunities than less well connected actors.

What is social network analysis (SNA)?

Networks are created by the relationships between different actors

SNA examines the relationships between actors and the social structures in which they interact to gain a better understanding of actors’ roles within the social system.

SNA is the study of how the ties in networks create opportunities and restrictions which affect both individual and institutional access to resources such as information, finance, goods and power.

Factors to consider during survey design Keep questions short and simple and avoid

collecting data that will not be used

The idea of this diagnostic approach is to obtain the maximum information in minimal time to get a birds eye view of the areas where we are working.

Sample Survey format

Actor(Information

source)

Information obtained

Communication media

Actor(Information source)

Information obtained

How useful?1=min, 5=max

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Survey with 2 variables

Valued survey

Linkage maps and matrix

Actor linkage matrices (Biggs and Matsaert, 2004)

Social Network Analysis Using UCINET (Steve Borgatti, Martin Everett and Lin Freeman)

Examples (FAP, 2010 )Actor OoA

RDDZARC

IPMS

FAP EMDTI

Ada’a Dairy Cooperatives

Hundae

Land O Lakes

Eden Field

OoARD NA* 3 3 3 1 1 1 2 1

DZARC 2 NA* 2 2 1 1 0 1 1

IPMS 3 2 NA* 3 2 2 1 2 3

FAP 2 2 3 NA* 2 1 0 2 1

EMDTI 1 1 1 2 NA* 1 0 1 0

Hundae 2 1 2 0 0 0 NA* 0 0

Land o Lakes 2 1 2 2 0 1 1 NA* 1

Eden Field 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 NA*

UCINET Net Map

SNA in rural development The socio-institutional framework in rural

communities is incredibly complex with interactions between grassroots groups, NGOs, public and private sector institutions who can operate at local, regional, national or international level.

This is now recognised in work to promote ‘innovation platforms’

Studying networks can help us to understand the social structures and characteristics of relationships between the actors and institutions in the areas where we work

SNA can help identify the key actors who can support us in our work or obstruct our efforts

Possible applications of SNA Within communities

Identify innovative producer groups Identify other projects with similar objectives

In value chains In innovation platforms In organisations

Know what is happening in different departments within an institution (organigrams are a poor reflection of information flows)

Relationships with field offices and other projects

How can SNA help us with our work?• Identify existing information flows and

bottlenecks to understand which groups have access to information and which groups are excluded from access to resources

• Identify actors who play similar roles in the network

• Identify disconnected groups in the network• Identify opinion leaders who will be able to

effectively disseminate information and promote innovation

• Your suggestions…..?

•

Group Discussion

SNA uses data about relationships between actors

Please work in groups and discuss Which actors do we work with? What is the nature of the relationships

between them? What would be the advantage for our projects

of being able to visualise these relationships? As development professionals what is our own

relationship to these different groups?

Thank you!