Fabio Nascimbeni
Fabio Nascimbeni has a degree in Economics with an international management specialisation and a PhD on Networking for Development. Since 1998 he is active in international research, policy advisory and strategic consultancy in the field of innovation in education, as well as in other areas such as ICT for development, ICT research, knowledge society developments. He has been designing and coordinating more than 40 international research and innovation projects across Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and South-East Asia. He is a fellow of the Nexa Center of the Politecnico di Torino and of the Centro de Estudos sobre Tecnologia e Sociedade of the University of Sao Paulo (USP), and a Senior Fellow of the European Distance and eLearning Network (EDEN)..
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We claim that a renewed theoretical framework is needed in order to advance towards a networking-intensive paradigm of development cooperation. We also advocate for an increased use of specific networking methods and tools, which are able to represent development practices in terms not only of actors, but also of networks.
From a theoretical framework point of view, the main contribution of the research is the concept of networking for development, a new way to consider networking activities within development cooperation. Within this notion, development networks, defined as open multistakeholder aggregations of donors, receivers and intermediaries as well as other relevant actors, should have a primary role within development activities and should do so starting from their own priorities and concerns. The idea is debated in relation to other concepts such as ICT for Development and is analysed in terms of added values and possible application strategies. The concept of networking divide, defined as the difference of opportunities between the actors that are included into healthy and active development networks and actors that are not, is presented: being part of a development network can have an impact on capacity building, employability, civic participation and social inclusion.
In order to validate the networking for development concept by using networking-specific methods and tools, we have analysed the networking history of @LIS, a European Commission funded programme that was run from 2002 to 2006 focusing on Europe-Latin America cooperation in the information society. By using Social Network Analysis (SNA) enriched with field observation, we have explored the networking and collaboration activities that took place among the @LIS stakeholders by visualising how the network developed and by focussing on cases that explain the observed dynamics. Looking at information-sharing practices, joint planning activities, and community building, we argue that the synergies that are built on the long tail of networking can be very meaningful for further collaboration developments. Focussing on the emerging dynamics of trust and reciprocity and on the rationales beyond different collaboration patterns, we have demonstrated the impact of networking on the programme effectiveness, intercultural learning and sustainability, and ultimately that the @LIS social capital was productive, and that this productivity was achieved through the actors’ interactions around the available network resources.
The networking for development approach calls for a change in the whole process of development cooperation, from the way development actions are designed, to their implementation, to the evaluation of their results and impact. Evaluation is particularly important, since it can facilitate a reflection among decision makers on what should be changed in their planning and implementation strategies. With respect to the evaluation activities that have been run by the European Commission during and after the @LIS Programme, applying network analysis methods has uncovered the explicit and tacit knowledge sharing dynamics and has allowed appreciating the real added value of the @LIS collaboration activities. Further, it has permitted to reflect on the importance of monitoring and influencing the dynamics of development networks: the @LIS analysis has demonstrated that the more these support activities are constructivist, flexible and attentive to interculturality, the more they will be successful.