A Network Analysis of Stakeholders Knowledge

A more comprehensive analysis of the emerged system and an objective and rational interpretation of the results are allowed by calculating some network and punctual indices. 

Network Indices Table 7.2 describes the system features. The whole network is made of 27 variables, which are classified into 5 senders, 11 receivers, and 11 transmitters. The low density of the network (0.048) can be explained by the fact that stakeholders identified only a small part of the possible connections. This means that, according to their perception, only some paths of interaction are activated among sender, receiver, and transmitter variables. The hierarchy index (0.12) denotes a wide democratic system with few hierarchical relations. This partly depends on the high proportion of transmitters that makes the whole system much more adaptable to context changes by means of their interactions. The insight is that local stakeholders perceive the situation to be easily changable, and may be affected by several variables. 

Since receivers are much more numerous than senders, a high degree of complexity emerges (2.2). The high value of this index highlights that the system generates a lot of outcomes, while only a few controlling forces are the determinants of its behavior. 

The other characteristic denoting the complexity of the system is the great number of transmitters, which are playing a relevant role in spreading the stimulus produced by senders to the whole system. According to the perception of stakeholders, the transmitters form a sort of connective fabric that can consoh-date the whole system. In fact, without the mediating function of transmitters, the senders could directly reach only 4 of the 10 receivers. 

1) Economy, containing 14 variables, related to the local economic system  

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