Title: Networks on the ground: rural development in Kenya

Authors: Emilia Istrate, Maksim (Max) Tsvetovat, Karabi Acharya

Addresses: School of Public Policy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MS 3C6, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA. ' Center for Social Complexity, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA. ' Academy for Educational Development, 1825 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009–5721, USA

Abstract: This paper addresses the needs of rural development projects in Kenya employing Social Network Analysis (SNA) as a diagnosis tool. It attempts to identify the key players, the core and the structural roles in the customer network. The degree of recognition of direct and indirect competition is further investigated. Special attention is given to the organisations that hold the implicit power in the information flows in the dairy sector. Last but not least, this paper tests the existence of a small, tightly connected group in the dairy sector that has a pulling effect on the rest of the organisations in the industry.

Keywords: rural development; Kenya; dairy sector; information flows; social networks; webs of trust; social network analysis; SNA.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNVO.2007.015721

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 2007 Vol.4 No.4, pp.383 - 401

Published online: 10 Nov 2007 *

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