Hermans Frans, Sartas Murat, van Schagen Boudy, van Asten Piet, Schut Marc
Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 2, Halle (Saale), Germany.
Knowledge, Technology and Innovation Group, Wageningen University, EW Wageningen, The Netherlands.
PLoS One. 2017 Feb 6;12(2):e0169634. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169634. eCollection 2017.
Multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) are seen as a promising vehicle to achieve agricultural development impacts. By increasing collaboration, exchange of knowledge and influence mediation among farmers, researchers and other stakeholders, MSPs supposedly enhance their 'capacity to innovate' and contribute to the 'scaling of innovations'. The objective of this paper is to explore the capacity to innovate and scaling potential of three MSPs in Burundi, Rwanda and the South Kivu province located in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In order to do this, we apply Social Network Analysis and Exponential Random Graph Modelling (ERGM) to investigate the structural properties of the collaborative, knowledge exchange and influence networks of these MSPs and compared them against value propositions derived from the innovation network literature. Results demonstrate a number of mismatches between collaboration, knowledge exchange and influence networks for effective innovation and scaling processes in all three countries: NGOs and private sector are respectively over- and under-represented in the MSP networks. Linkages between local and higher levels are weak, and influential organisations (e.g., high-level government actors) are often not part of the MSP or are not actively linked to by other organisations. Organisations with a central position in the knowledge network are more sought out for collaboration. The scaling of innovations is primarily between the same type of organisations across different administrative levels, but not between different types of organisations. The results illustrate the potential of Social Network Analysis and ERGMs to identify the strengths and limitations of MSPs in terms of achieving development impacts.
多利益相关方平台（MSP）被视为实现农业发展影响的一种有前景的手段。通过加强农民、研究人员和其他利益相关方之间的合作、知识交流和影响力调解，多利益相关方平台理应增强其“创新能力”，并促进“创新的推广”。本文的目的是探讨布隆迪、卢旺达以及刚果民主共和国（DRC）东部的南基伍省的三个多利益相关方平台的创新能力和推广潜力。为此，我们应用社会网络分析和指数随机图模型（ERGM）来研究这些多利益相关方平台的合作、知识交流和影响力网络的结构特性，并将其与创新网络文献中得出的价值主张进行比较。结果表明，在这三个国家中，为实现有效的创新和推广过程，合作、知识交流和影响力网络之间存在一些不匹配之处：非政府组织和私营部门在多利益相关方平台网络中的代表性分别过高和过低。地方和高层之间的联系薄弱，有影响力的组织（如高级政府行为体）往往不是多利益相关方平台的一部分，或者没有与其他组织建立积极联系。在知识网络中处于中心位置的组织更受合作青睐。创新的推广主要发生在不同行政层面的同一类型组织之间，而非不同类型组织之间。结果说明了社会网络分析和指数随机图模型在识别多利益相关方平台在实现发展影响方面的优势和局限性方面的潜力。
