Building sustainable learning and knowledge-sharing through reciprocal approaches

Moderator

• Fabio Pittaluga, GEI/World Bank Group, Senior Operations Officer

Panelists

• Aida Kraiem, Presidency of Government, Tunisia, General Director of Economic, Financial and Social Affairs
• Awuor Ponge, African Policy Centre, Nairobi, Kenya, Senior Associate Research Fellow
• Lixin Zhang, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America, Assistant Director of Research Evaluation
• Zheng Yu, School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan, China, Head of Department of International Politics

Discussion Themes

• Stakeholders are the driving force behind the success of development programmes. Their relationships, collaborations and exchanges are important to achieving outcomes. By mapping these relationships, network analysis helps to visualize how stakeholders influence programme results. Mapping tools ensure that all relevant actors are considered in the evaluation process, leading to a more inclusive and accurate assessment of programme impact.
• Many global development programmes involve numerous stakeholders and constantly changing variables, making it difficult to capture all the factors influencing outcomes. Network analysis enables evaluators to move beyond simple metrics, by providing a tool to map out the complex web of relationships that affect programme outcomes. This approach highlights the interactions between stakeholders, enhancing understanding of their roles and influence.
• The application of different network theories, such as social network theory and resource dependency theory, enables evaluators to explore deeper insights into knowledge-sharing, power dynamics and resource flows. In doing so, network analysis contributes to more rigorous, inclusive and effective evaluations.