Stakeholders’ Identification and Understanding of the Multisectoral Governance for Child and Maternal Nutrition During the MDGs Period – A Stakeholders’ Network Analysis of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan

Abstract

Abstract Background Interest in multisectoral policies has increased, particularly in the context of low-income and middle-income countries and efforts towards Sustainable Development Goals, with greater attention to understand effective strategies for implementation and governance. The study had two objectives: 1) to identify the main stakeholders who were responsible for child and nutrition mother nutrition in the MDGs period in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, 2) to explore and map the composition and structure of the nutrition component of MDGs, identifying key factors engaged in nutrition policy implementation and their patterns of relationships in provincial-level in the KP. Methods Stakeholders identification was furnished using the participatory NetMap tool. Social network analysis (SNA) was used to examine the structure of the actors’ network in compliance with child and maternal nutrition MDGs. The survey was administered producing three distinct network maps about interaction, information-seeking and decision-making patterns. The network measures of centrality, density, reciprocity, centralization was used to understand the network across the province. Results a total of 16 stakeholders were identified. The results on network analysis showed MoH, P&D, NGOs, and provincial government were the most frequently consulted actors for interaction, information-seeking and decision-making. The three networks as a whole displayed high centralization with a P&D and MoH having a central role with the highest in-degree centrality. The network as whole also exhibited greater density and reciprocity. Conclusion As a whole, 16 stakeholders were identified by NetMap and SNA analysis with MoH, P&D, NGOs, and provincial government as the most frequently consulted actors for interaction, information-seeking and decision-making.