Bangladesh Network Analysis Final Report (Learning Edition)

This publication was produced for review by USAID. It was prepared by LINC as a sub-awardee to Johns Hopkins University (GOPC) under the SPACES MERL activity No. AID-OAA-A-15-00064 and was authored by Patrick Sommerville and Eric Derks. 

Executive Summary 

From May to October 2017, SPACES MERL assisted the Bangladesh Rice and Diversified Crops (RDC) project in utilizing network analysis to understand systems dynamics and change in the network of grantees assisted by the RDC project. This was a baseline ego network analysis, conducted with six prospective grantees (egos/lead firms) of the RDC project. This ego network analysis accompanies training and technical assistance delivered by SPACES throughout the summer of 2017 to integrate network analysis into RDC’s grantee MEL activities. We anticipate that this report will be utilized to inform RDC program strategy, provide a model and baseline for follow-up network analyses to be conducted by RDC, and inform broader learning on the efficacy of egonet analysis as a tool for program design and adaptation. 

Utility of the egonet tool: The egonet tool was particularly useful in identifying structural dynamics, social norms, and biases that appear to constrain either the egos’ operational performance and/or that of the market system. Unlike other approaches that predominate in the market systems space, the egonet approach lends the capability of visualizing and quantifying structure and relationship strength. As opposed to a whole network survey, it is also manageable from both a time and resource perspective. Potential for integrating the tool into adaptive MEL processes is high, given some additional streamlining of data collection modalities with RDC going forward. Marrying quantitative and qualitative approaches is essential to providing ego analysis with insights on the overall framework and structure of the system.

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