TOOLS TO SUPPORT THE EX ANTE EVALUATION OF THE CAP STRATEGIC PLANS. RURAL EVALUATION NEWS. NUMBER 13 / JULY 2019

One of the ultimate goals of a network is to connect actors towards common interests and objectives. In this session, the Evaluation Helpdesk asked how evaluation can play a supportive role in improving the quality and performance of networks. Ms Elena Pisani (Senior Researcher, University of Padua) presented the experience of an evaluation of a local network, the Local Action Group Prealpi & Dolomiti (IT). Participants were then invited to put into practice the basic concepts of a Social Network Analysis to develop recommendations for improving the exchange of practices among actors. The session ended with raising overall reflections on how evaluation can support networks. The added value of evaluating networks lays largely on the ability to identify and address the specific needs of the involved actors. For instance, Ms Elena Pisani explained how the assessment of the social capital generated by the Local Action Group Prealpi & Dolomiti was able to show the added value generated by LEADER/CLLD at the local level, as well as to suggest concrete actions to achieve better results from the CLLD strategy. ‘LEADER/CLLD can increase the social capital among local actors, and finally evaluation can measure it in terms of better decision-making process, trust and reciprocity among actors’, highlighted Ms Elena Pisani during her presentation. Different methods can be applied for evaluating networks and Social Network Analysis is just one example. Its application allowed participants to visualise and analyse simulated networks and propose recommendations to facilitate the exchange of practices among actors. Story telling was also suggested by participants as a powerful method to study and communicate the effects of networks.