Analyzing Social Policy from a Network Perspective (original) (raw)
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ArXiv, 2021
Public administration has produced a significant body of literature on public sector networks, examining network drivers, dynamics, and outcomes. However, this literature has yet to examine networks in terms of intervention, where network mechanisms are manipulated to promote behavioral change and improve social, organizational, and community outcomes. Building on Valente’s (2012) typology, we develop a framework for strategies of public sector network intervention. First, we describe the core concepts in the theory of network interventions found primarily in public health. Next, we expand the existing typology of interventions to include macro-institutional strategies suited to public administration settings. We then identify extant public sector literatures that provide the building blocks for a framework for intervention. Finally, we classify the modes of intervention along three dimensions and discuss how each strategy might be implemented in practice. This typology categorizes ...
2006
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: The concept of “network” has become central to many discussions of public policy, management, and service delivery. However, use of the term is rarely backed with theoretical and empirical analysis of actual social networks. This course is designed to (1) explore the theoretical underpinnings of the concept; (2) introduce the basic methods needed to collect and analyze network data; (3) familiarize you with the process of initiating and completing a network analysis using real data from real cases; and (4) compare your network findings with results generated using other methods and techniques.
The state of network research in Public Administration
Administration & Society
The wide use of networks warrants a closer examination of network research in public administration. This article focuses on the methodological issues of network research and examines how social network analysis has been used and can be used to advance network research in public administration. Through a content analysis of 81 network articles, we found that the topics examined through network analysis have become more diverse in recent years. Yet relatively few articles have examined the intersection of policy networks, governance networks, and collaborative networks. The field needs more mixed-methods research designs and more research on the substructures of networks and multilevel networks.
The purpose of this research is to explore how the term 'network' is used in public administration and public policy. Since O'Toole (1997) first called for scholars of public administration and policy to “[treat] networks seriously,” a growing number of researchers use the term network as if it is a rising fashion trend. A recent article by Berry et al (2004) in Public Administration Review “Three Traditions of Network Research”, illustrates this trend. This article empirically examines the influence of a few prominent scholars on network research over the last decade.
Actors’ awareness of network governance in Child Welfare and Healthcare service networks
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To ensure that families with social and behavioral health problems get the support they need, organizations collaborate in child service networks. These networks are generally lead-organization governed. It is assumed that network members have relatively accurate information about the governance mode. However, discrepancies between the formally administered and perceived governance mode could raise legitimacy questions and lead to conflicts, and ultimately affect network effectiveness. Therefore, we investigated to what extent such discrepancies exist and how they might be explained. Hereby, the focus was on the concepts level of trust, interaction, and strength of relationship with the lead organization in the network. A comparative case study was conducted of three inter-organizational networks of child services in different-sized municipalities in the Netherlands in 2018 and 2019. A multiple generalized linear mixed model analysis was used. We found that only a minority of the network members had an accurate perception of the governance mode. This awareness did improve over time. The level of interaction and relationship strength with the lead organization were independently associated with an accurate perception of the governance mode. Trust of a network member in the network, however, had no significant association. These insights underline the necessity to consider network information accuracy as an important variable for understanding network behavior and as crucial for the effective delivery of child services.
Public Administration, 1995
Public policy usually develops in complex networks of public, quasi-public and private organizations. It is now generally accepted that these networks set l i m i t s to the governance capability of the administration. A good deal less is known about the opportunities which policy networks offer for tackling social and administrative problems. This article deals with the way network management enables government organizations to benefit from networks. Building on the theoretical concepts of 'networks' and 'games', two forms of network management are identified: game management and network structuring. Four key aspects can be identified for both of these management fonns: actors and their relations, resources, rules and perceptions. At thesame time, criteria for the assessment and improvement of network management are examined. The article concludes with a consideration of the limits of network management.
2018
Government intervention in the public sphere has undergone a great transformation throughout its history. The concept of " governance networks " encompasses one of the latest efforts from political sciences to understand the process of creating and implementing public policies. This document aims to clarify the theoretical and practical implications of the concept of " governance networks " in regards to future research agendas around it. The conceptual debate suggests the need to analyze its democratic implications.
2007
Over the last 15 years research into the functioning and effectiveness of government has paid increasing attention to coordination, cooperation, and collaboration within and across organizations and agencies. This reflects the fundamental observation that as the complexity of the public policy-making and – implementation process in and around government has grown the need to coordinate the efforts of multiple actors and organizations has also grown. In general, this huge literature has been based heavily on qualitative and case study-based research and analytical methods. There have been a number of quantitative applications as well, but these are dwarfed by the former. This paper argues that research on public sector coordination, cooperation, and collaboration, both in its qualitative and quantitative realizations, could benefit greatly by employing social and organizational network analytical methods and concepts. Employing network analysis can assist greatly with specifying meas...
Taking Network Analysis Seriously: Methodological Improvements for Governance Network Scholarship
Perspectives on Public Management and Governance, 2018
Networks are recognized as an important lens for studying governance. However, in the public policy and management literature, networks are both a theoretical concept and methodological approach-making it difficult to figure out where theory ends and methodology begins. This article first addresses why network analysis-as both concept and method-is important for the study of governance systems, as the epistemology of a network-analytic approach mirrors prominent theories of complex institutional systems. Second, it seeks to clarify the roles of network analysis in governance research. Distinguishing between different modes of analysis serves to highlight different types of network research designs and explains why network analysis is not just reflexively defined by its focus on networks. Third, it argues that researchers should strive for a more holistic conception of network analysis. Actors, relationships, rules, and resources interact in complex ways to determine outcomes in complex institutional systems. By focusing on more than just actors and their interactions, public policy and management scholars can use network analysis more effectively.