The power mapping tool: A method for the empirical research of power relations

"This paper presents an innovative participatory method to visualize, discuss and analyze the power of different actors in a given governance field. The Power Mapping Tool was first used to analyze the governance effects of Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) in Namibia. This example is presented as a case study to show how the method works: The actors involved are represented by board game figures that are characterized through “range-of-action-cards” and put on wooden “power towers” to show their power in the governance field. The result is a three dimensional sketch that provides quantitative data and guides the qualitative discussion about reasons for and effects of the power of different actors. In the case of Namibian CBNRM Power Mapping helped to understand how power indeed had been devolved from the national to the local level. However, on the community level elite-capture was seen as a serious problem. In this research the Power Mapping Tool proved to be easy to use with a very diverse mix of interview partners and provided not only a wealth of data but also increased the interviewees' understanding of their own situation." from Authors' AbstractGovernance, Participatory methods, Decentralization, Natural resource management, Political power,

Who has influence in multistakeholder governance systems?

As multistakeholder governance has emerged as an important feature in development, new governance structures that foster the participation of multiple stakeholders from the public sector, civil society, and the private sector have emerged in various fields, ranging from the management of natural resources to the provision of public services. To make such governance structures work, it is essential to understand how different stakeholders influence decisionmaking and what determines their influence. This paper uses Net-Map, an innovative participatory method, to analyze how networking influences decisionmaking in multistakeholder governance structures, using the case of the governance board of the White Volta River Basin in northern Ghana as an example. The method visualizes both the relations between all stakeholders in watershed management as perceived by the 17 members on the board and their influence on development outcomes. The study suggests that significant effects of social networking are at play beyond the formal lines of command and funding as stakeholders in watershed management make decisions. Stakeholders are more influential if they participate more prominently in information exchange and provide more advice to others. This counterbalances the overrepresentation of government actors on the board. Meanwhile some government organizations have a low level of influence, even though they are central in giving funding and command. These findings may be interesting for program leaders and policymakers in watershed management: when designing governance structures they need to take into account the importance of social networking to attain main objectives of watershed development; it is important to provide space that allows the exchange of information and advice among stakeholders. Meanwhile, policymakers and program leaders as well must consider overrepresentation of social network champions in multistakeholder governance structures and the limited capacity of government bodies in social networking. The paper serves to introduce not only the specific findings concerning this case study but also the participatory research method (Net-Map) that was used.decisionmaking, multistakeholder governance, Natural resource management, Social networks,

Epistemic Cartography: Evaluating Net-Map as a Frontline Tool for Navigating Informal Knowledge Networks

Sustainability transitions are dependent on the development and diffusion of transformative skills and competencies. However, the prevailing notion that learning for sustainability transitions will be led by universities, technical colleges and other similar institutions is practically not feasible in much of the global south. Net-Map is a social network analysis tool that uses interviews and mapping to help people understand, visualise, discuss, and improve situations in which many different actors influence outcomes (Schiffer & Hauck, 2010). In response to the pressing need for new approaches to the development and diffusion of sustainability skills, this paper evaluates Net-Map’s suitability as a methodological tool for educators, knowledge brokers and students seeking to enhance the navigability of the often complex and uncharted occupational pathways they encounter. To do this, the research applied Net-Map to an emerging sustainability niche within the food system in order to map the learning pathways of successful sustainability pioneers. We found that Net-Map was helpful in identifying diffuse informal knowledge networks and teaching resources. Being free, quick to learn and easy to use, Net-Map is a potentially low-cost method for circumventing traditionally costly approaches to curriculum development and accreditation – assisting community-based actors to make sense of the informal knowledge and competency networks that support emerging career fields. In emerging career fields such as organic farming, where pioneer knowledge is fragmented, poorly documented and often disregarded by mainstream-science, Net-Map could be useful in the preparatory phase of curriculum planning and design, providing training designers, course conveners and facilitators with contextually informed insights

Mapping the policy process in Nigeria

How research contributes to the policy process in developing countries in general, and in Nigeria more specifically, is not well understood. Yet such understanding is a critical part of doing effective policy research. This has become especially critical for the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), which has set up a country office for policy research in Nigeria. A key challenge for IFPRI, and other research organizations in the country, is how to better integrate research results into policy and communicate research results to Nigerian policymakers. To gain some useful insights into how research does, or does not, influence policy in Nigeria, we examined a case involving the process leading up to the adoption in 2006 of Nigeria’s National Fertilizer Policy. Rather than focusing on how research influences policy in general, examining a particular policy allowed us to trace the actual policy process that took place, the actors involved, and the types of links and interactions between them. A diverse group of stakeholders (government, donors, the research community, farmer organizations, and the private sector) undoubtedly debated the content of the fertilizer policy. Thus, its successful formulation and adoption offered a useful opportunity to examine how it came about in spite of competing vested interests (both for and against it) and what role, if any, research-based information played in developing it. The policy covered some highly contentious political issues, most prominently the issue of privatization of the fertilizer sector in place of the large-scale and long-standing subsidy program. How the actors engaged and appeased people with vested interests who would normally oppose the policy, and the degree to which research-based information played a role in policy development, is of interest to IFPRI and others engaged in policy research. To study the policy process that led to the formulation and adoption of the National Fertilizer Policy, we used a network-mapping tool, Net-Map. Drawing on social network approaches, the tool is particularly suitable since it can help highlight the actors and formal and informal interactions involved in the policy process, as well as examine the flows of information from researchers to help determine the pathways of research-based information. In support of the Net-Map method, we also undertook a content analysis of published and grey literature on fertilizer policies in Nigeria in the years prior to the passing of the fertilizer bill. This provided a context for the knowledge-based and policy discussions, who was involved in them, and who funded or drove them.Development strategies, Fertilizer, Net-Map, policy processes, Social network analysis,

Information flow and acquisition of knowledge in water governance in the Upper East Region of Ghana:

"This paper provides an assessment of information flows and the acquisition of knowledge in water governance of the Upper East Region, Ghana. These flows are patchy, often parallel, disconnected or slow. In many cases a great deal of information is gathered but for a number of reasons not transferred into knowledge that impacts on decision making and action. An analysis of knowledge flows can serve as guidance for research projects and capacity building endeavours to allow tackling the gap between data collection and knowledge for action." from authors' abstractWater governance, Irrigation, drinking water, information flow,

How to overcome the governance challenges of implementing NREGA

Large-scale social safety net programs such as India�s National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) are difficult to implement due to governance challenges related to elite capture, leakages, and corruption. The ability to identify how the governance challenges of program implementation can be met requires detailed insights into the actual process of program implementation, with clear views on the source of leakage and mismanagement, the sensitivity of program implementation to the influence of different actors, local power structures and informal bureaucratic processes. This paper uses a new participatory research method, referred to as Process-Influence Mapping, to shed light on these issues and related governance challenges, using the implementation of NREGA as an example. The Process-Influence Mapping tool helps identify the specific features of the NREGA implementation process that limit the program�s effectiveness (for example, elite capture in the definition of work and capacity limitations due to staff shortages and lack of training) and create scope for the misappropriation of funds. The insights gained can be used to identify policy options for reforming the administrative process of NREGA implementation so as to create an effective social safety net.Governance, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, participatory research method, Process-Influence-Map,

Epistemic Cartography: Evaluating Net-Map as a Frontline Tool for Navigating Informal Knowledge Networks

Sustainability transitions are dependent on the development and diffusion of transformative skills and competencies. However, the prevailing notion that learning for sustainability transitions will be led by universities, technical colleges and other similar institutions is practically not feasible in much of the global south. Net-Map is a social network analysis tool that uses interviews and mapping to help people understand, visualise, discuss, and improve situations in which many different actors influence outcomes (Schiffer and Hauck, 2010). In response to the pressing need for new approaches to the development and diffusion of sustainability skills, this paper evaluates Net-Map’s suitability as a methodological tool for educators, knowledge brokers and students seeking to enhance the navigability of the often complex and uncharted occupational pathways they encounter. To do this, the research applied Net-Map to an emerging sustainability niche within the food system in order to map the learning pathways of successful sustainability pioneers. We found that Net-Map was helpful in identifying diffuse informal knowledge networks and teaching resources. Being free, quick to learn and easy to use, Net-Map is a potentially low-cost method for circumventing traditionally costly approaches to curriculum development and accreditation – assisting community-based actors to make sense of the informal knowledge and competency networks that support emerging career fields. In emerging career fields such as organic farming, where pioneer knowledge is fragmented, poorly documented and often disregarded by mainstream-science, Net-Map could be useful in the preparatory phase of curriculum planning and design, providing training designers, course conveners and facilitators with contextually informed insights

Prevalence and Correlates of Cognitive Impairment in Kidney Transplant Patients Using the DemTect—Results of a KTx360 Substudy

Cognitive impairment in kidney transplantation (KTx) patients is associated with allograft survival and mortality. However, the prevalence of cognitive impairment after KTx is still understudied. Thus, we aimed to assess the prevalence of cognitive impairment in KTx patients and to identify sociodemographic, medical, donation-specific, and psychological variables associated with cognitive impairment. In this cross-sectional two-center study, 583 KTx patients participated in a structured post-transplant care program. The DemTect was used to assess cognition, and cognitive impairment was defined as a score of 30 kg/m2). Using logistic regression analysis, all variables except age remained significant. Our results suggest that cognitive impairment affects a significant number of patients after KTx. Transplant centers may consider screening for cognitive impairment using objective tests, especially in patients with a high-risk profile. Furthermore, studies with longitudinal designs are required in order to assess moderators and mediators for cognitive trajectories

Reprint of: Participant engagement in environmentally focused social network research

Environmentally focused social network analysis (Env. SNA) has increasingly benefited from engagement, which refers to the process of incorporating the individuals, organizations, actors, stakeholders or other study participants into the research process. Research about engagement in the wider field of environmental management shows that successful engagement often requires significant planning and exchange among researchers and stakeholders. While there is no one size fits all approach, several important guiding principles have been established. To date, this engagement literature has not focused specifically on SNA, even though several examples of engaged SNA exist in the literature and point to some specific challenges to engagement when working with relational data. Drawing upon data from a survey of researchers who have incorporated engagement into Env. SNA, we focus specifically on the goals, scope, effectiveness, benefits and challenges of doing engaged Env. SNA research. We additionally highlight four case studies and demonstrate that researchers and participants find engagement to be a valuable experience with benefits in the researchers’ understanding of the context and meaning of their findings. Finally, we provide recommendations to scholars looking to embark on engaged Env. SNA research

Void-Assisted Ion-Paired Proton Transfer at Water-Ionic Liquid Interfaces.

At the water-trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate ([P14,6,6,6 ][FAP]) ionic liquid interface, the unusual electrochemical transfer behavior of protons (H(+) ) and deuterium ions (D(+) ) was identified. Alkali metal cations (such as Li(+) , Na(+) , K(+) ) did not undergo this transfer. H(+) /D(+) transfers were assisted by the hydrophobic counter anion of the ionic liquid, [FAP](-) , resulting in the formation of a mixed capacitive layer from the filling of the latent voids within the anisotropic ionic liquid structure. This phenomenon could impact areas such as proton-coupled electron transfers, fuel cells, and hydrogen storage where ionic liquids are used as aprotic solvents