Institutions and Civil Society Relations in Migori County (Kenya): A Social Network Analysis of Weak and Strong Ties

The goal of this paper is to investigate policy networks in Migori, a small county in the Western part of Kenya, near the border with Tanzania and Victoria Lake. In this study we build a unique network database and we use Social Network Analysis techniques to detect the structural relations among different stakeholders (e.g. institutions and civil society actors) within this county and we focus on different topics (i.e. overall interactions, training and cooperation, and for specific decision making on health and nutrition, and agricultural issues). The main results show the importance to distinguish, in policy networks, the rationale of interactions and their intensity, i.e. weak or strong ties. Institutions and civil society organizations are differently connected according to the functions and intensity of networks in which they operate. For example, for health and nutrition the Ministry is the core actor; the opposite occurs in agriculture, where local communities are the core players; and finally in training and coordination we have an intermediate layout, if compared to the two previous ones.

Transitivity Analysis of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos’ Nobel Peace Prize Lecture

The present document will offer an analysis of the Nobel Peace Prize acceptance lecture delivered by the former Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, from the fundaments of the transitivity system provided by the Systemic Functional Grammar theory. To attain this goal, a quantitative and qualitative research method approach was applied. Findings indicated that among the six transitivity process types, the material processes (54% - 205 realizations) dominate the speech whereas the verbal, existential, and behavioral processes are relatively low all together representing an overall occurrence of 10% (41 realizations). This reveals that the speaker’s main goal is to emphasize the actions that led to consolidating the Colombian peace process, placing him as the core actor of this achievement. Furthermore, by employing a narrative thread that connects the past, the present, and the future time, he can demonstrate to the world his capability as a governor who deserves to be awarded the Nobel Prize.

An actor–network theory model of property development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to model the property development process from an actor–network theory perspective. The model aims to address the relationship between structure and agency to combine the social and the economic aspects of the property development process. Design/methodology/approach An inductive methodology was appropriate for this study. Consequently, 12 semi-structured interviews have been carried out with professionals involved in the property development process in central London. Findings Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that throughout the development process a developer creates a core actor–network and enrols those required for production. Economic, cultural, legal and political structures influence actions throughout the development process and therefore have the ability to cause disruption. As a result, sub-networks are created to overcome challenges throughout the development process, such as obtaining planning consent. This allows the interests of actors to be aligned or re-aligned so that solutions can be punctualised into the core actor–network. Additionally, structures are affected by actions throughout the property development process. Practical implications It is recommended that developers measure the extent to which the interests of actors are successfully aligned and re-aligned throughout a developments life cycle, in addition to a developments financial success. The findings are paramount for policymakers and regulators, as it allows them to understand the intricate workings of the development process and so when they regulate or develop policy, they will understand how it will reverberate through the process and recalibrate it, thereby limiting unforeseen consequences. Originality/value This research has proven valuable given it advances the property development process literature by examining the property development process from an actor–network theory perspective and provides areas for further study.

Desafíos de los entes locales: un nuevo modelo de gobierno con proyección exterior

<p align="justify">La Administración local está llamada a convertirse en un actor básico en la adopción de decisiones a todos los niveles institucionales. Las novedades que esta realidad presenta en el panorama administrativo permiten abordar el estudio de dos de los aspectos básicos de los futuros entes locales: su activa participación en la gobernanza multinivel y la perspectiva exterior de su actividad, a través de la cooperación y la colaboración con entes locales vecinos o de otros Estados. La diversidad de nuestras sociedades y la consecución de la cohesión económica, social y territorial a nivel comunitario determinan el sentido de los Entes locales y las funciones que deberán asumir. >strong>The local authority is called to be a core actor in the decision-making at all institutional levels. These developments in the administrative context can approach the study of two basic aspects of future local authorities: their active participation in multi-level governance and the external perspective of its activities, through cooperation and collaboration with neighboring local governments or from other States. The diversity of our societies and the attainment of economic, social and territorial cohesion at EU level determine the meaning of local organizations and the roles they will assume.</strong></p>