Revealing the relational mechanisms of research for development through social network analysis

Apgar, M, Fournie, G, Haesler, B, Higdon, GL, Kenny, L, Oppel, A, Pauls, E, Smith, M, Snijder, M, Vink, D and Hossain, M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1878-8145, 2023. Revealing the relational mechanisms of research for development through social network analysis. The European Journal of Development Research. ISSN 0957-8811

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Abstract

Achieving impact through research for development programmes (R4D) requires engagement with diverse stakeholders across the research, development and policy divides. Understanding how such programmes support the emergence of outcomes, therefore, requires a focus on the relational aspects of engagement and collaboration. Increasingly, evaluation of large research collaborations is employing social network analysis (SNA), making use of its relational view of causation. In this paper, we use three applications of SNA within similar large R4D programmes, through our work within evaluation of three Interidsiplinary Hubs of the Global Challenges Research Fund, to explore its potential as an evaluation method. Our comparative analysis shows that SNA can uncover the structural dimensions of interactions within R4D programmes and enable learning about how networks evolve through time. We reflect on common challenges across the cases including navigating different forms of bias that result from incomplete network data, multiple interpretations across scales, and the challenges of making causal inference and related ethical dilemmas. We conclude with lessons on the methodological and operational dimensions of using SNA within monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems that aim to support both learning and accountability.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	The European Journal of Development Research
Creators:	Apgar, M., Fournie, G., Haesler, B., Higdon, G.L., Kenny, L., Oppel, A., Pauls, E., Smith, M., Snijder, M., Vink, D. and Hossain, M.
Publisher:	Springer
Date:	25 January 2023
ISSN:	0957-8811
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1057/s41287-023-00576-y DOI 1726837 Other
Rights:	This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	07 Feb 2023 07:57
Last Modified:	07 Feb 2023 07:57
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/48178

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