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DecisionSupport 8There are many ways to apply SNA to aparticular context. The main steps in quantitativeand qualitative SNA are outlined below.Quantitative Social Network AnalysisQuantitative SNA aims at capturing the entirerelevant network. The steps for quantitativesocial network analysis are:• Clarifying objectives and defining the scope ofanalysis (e.g. mapping a knowledge domain).• Developing a survey methodology anddesigning the questionnaire.• Identifying the participants (network) andproviding justification for boundaries (ifappropriate).• Collecting survey data and gathering furtherinformation from other resources.• Analysing the data through formal methods.• Reviewing process and outcomes to identifyproblems/opportunities.• Designing and implementing actions to bringabout desired changes.• Mapping the network again after anappropriate period of time.This is a resource intensive task, and fieldresearch requires very high response rates, andhigh resources, as any missing data can weakenthe analysis. Other approaches using existingdata (e.g. co-citation networks, onlinedatabases, household surveys) can also beconsidered, though it is not always easy toextract relational information or perform suitabledata transformations.Qualitative Social Network AnalysisQualitative social network analysis or socialnetwork mapping (SNM) takes advantage of theearly steps above – the interviews, surveys orfocus group discussions – to elicit information onthe relevant networks. It can facilitate richdiscussions, shared understanding andincreased awareness between differentstakeholders. This can be part of a rapidappraisal before detailed analysis begins. It canalso identify entry points for policy influence(Turnpenny et al., 2005) and other ‘flows’ ofresources which can include ‘informal capital’.A number of approaches and tools can be usedfor network analysis. Following Schiffer (2010),the NetMap guidance is a useful example forapplying the approach in a participatory way. Themethod is usually applied using flipcharts, post-itnotes and flat counters with a group ofstakeholders who are split into homogeneousgroups related to the type of institution theybelong to e.g. Government level representatives,NGOs, farmers, etc.Once the adaptation research question is welldefined, participants go through the mappingexercise including an analysis of the network,and then come back into plenary for a discussionof the different networks from the differentstakeholder perspectives. This enables a better‘shared understanding’ of differing world views.A range of software exists for both quantitativeand qualitative SNA. This includes software forvisualisation and analysis, such as GEPHI,UCINET, ORA and NetDraw.The Application to AdaptationThe IPCC special report on extreme events(IPCC, 2012) confirms the viewpoint ofadaptation as a socio-institutional process,defining adaptation as a process of adjustmentto the actual or expected climate and its effects,in order to moderate harm or exploit beneficialopportunities.There is now an increasing body of research onthe role of socio-institutional networks in climateadaptation as there is for natural resourcemanagement (Bodin and Crona, 2009, Stein etal., 2011). Downing (2012) contrasts a predictand-provideviewpoint with a process-basedunderstanding of adaptation. Berkhout et al.,(2006) found that many of the resources requiredfor carrying out the process of adaptation lieoutside the boundary of a particular organization.As a result, inter-relationships betweenorganisations are influential in determining how(and if) adaptation processes will occur.Following from this, it is important to identify theexisting socio-institutional landscape andfeedback processes in climate adaptationresearch, to speed up the necessary ‘climateadaptedroutines and capability to be developed’(Berkhout et al., 2006). This process-basedunderstanding requires a ‘mapping’ of theproblem framing and actors. SNA has the4