The Missing Linkage In Evaluating Networks: A Model for Matching Evaluation Approaches to System Dynamics and Complexity

:The configurational model presented in this article explores the linkage between indicators and determinants of network effectiveness and methods of network evaluation by relating levels of system dynamics and complexity in the evaluated object to hierarchical coordination and practices of self-governance in network evaluation. It explains when and how to apply actor- and program-oriented evaluation approaches, the terms of reference that should be used to formalize the evaluation, and the degree to which management should be involved in coordination between actors in order to achieve a successful evaluation. Because the model conceives of network evaluation as “a network within a network,” it is also applicable to research on network effectiveness in general.