Using social network analysis to evaluate a complex policy network

Abstract

There are many challenges in evaluating international networks within the fields of health and international development. Use of conventional tools is not only difficult but may fail to provide the kind of information that is developmentally useful. Social network analysis tools offer many benefits for network evaluators. In particular, they allow documentation and analysis of inter-relationships between individuals and organizations, pointing to potential gaps as well as areas of development. This article describes the use of such tools in the evaluation of Sexuality Policy Watch (SPW), a global forum of organizations and individuals active within the field of sexuality, health and rights. It highlights the potential of these tools to provide visual representations of complex relationships within networks. In this case, the tools enabled the representation of SPW as a complex but ordered network, focused on sexual and reproductive rights, composed of individuals with a multiplicity of organizational affiliations.