Evaluating Networks as Systems

Recommended reading

For evaluators and researchers working with complex partnerships, coalitions, and multi-actor initiatives, understanding how to evaluate networks is as important as what to evaluate. In this academic article, Dr. Yuval Ofek offers a rigorous and highly practical contribution to the growing field of network evaluation.

The article introduces a configurational model that links indicators and determinants of network effectiveness with appropriate evaluation methods. Rather than proposing a single evaluation approach, the model helps evaluators decide when and how to apply actor-oriented versus program-oriented evaluation, based on the level of system dynamics and complexity characterizing the network under study.

A central insight of the article is its treatment of evaluation itself as “a network within a network.” The model clarifies how coordination, self-governance practices, and management involvement should be calibrated to the network’s structure and maturity. It also provides guidance on how to formulate terms of reference that reflect these realities.

Beyond evaluation practice, the model is relevant for scholars studying network effectiveness, offering a conceptual bridge between evaluation design, governance, and system complexity. This makes the article essential reading for anyone engaged in evaluating or researching networks in policy, development, or organizational contexts.

Ofek, Y. (2015). The missing linkage in evaluating networks: A model for matching evaluation approaches to system dynamics and complexity. Public Performance & Management Review, 38(4), 607-631.

Read the article here.