Social Network Analysis
The mapping and measurement of relationships between people, organisations, or institutions.
Why it matters now
It reveals who actually influences whom, which is rarely the same as the organisation chart. Conservation projects succeed or fail on whether the right brokers are engaged, and the method finds them. It also exposes where information does not flow, which is usually where a project is about to fail quietly.
Where this is happening on Earth
- AfricaFisher cooperative mapping in Lake Tanganyika communitiesRelationship maps identified the small group of brokers whose agreement made new closures stick.
- AsiaIrrigation subak associations, Bali, IndonesiaCenturies-old water temple networks coordinate planting across hundreds of farms without central authority.
- EuropePolicy influence mapping in European Union environmental negotiationTracing which member states and NGOs actually broker agreement across blocs.
- North AmericaIndigenous seed-keeper networks across the Great PlainsRelationship maps guide the return of heritage varieties to communities that lost them.
- South AmericaRubber tapper and Indigenous alliances in Acre, BrazilCross-group ties turned two separate movements into one effective political force.
The idea itself
The encyclopedia entry first, then live searches at journals and magazines that keep returning current work on this specific idea.
Current reporting from around the world
Standing feeds at reputable periodicals. These stay fresh on their own, which is why they are here instead of a list of articles that would be out of date within a season.