Networks In Evaluation

Abstract

In this chapter, I discuss elements of network analysis most important for the evaluation of development policy programmes and projects. The chapter begins with a discussion of the main concepts in network analysis, accompanied with a presentation of the sources in which particular issues are discussed in detail. The main part of the chapter presents cases of network analysis applied in evaluation research. They have been taken from literature on the subject and, predominantly, from my own professional experience, as I have performed some network analyses in the last few years as part of evaluation studies conducted in Poland (and scientific research of a similar nature). Moreover, network visualisations, presented alongside the discussed cases, are important for this study. They alone can provide inspiration for readers, who one day may confront the difficult task of visualising a complex network. The chapter concludes with a short summary of the strengths and weaknesses of applying network analysis to evaluation.