Insights from Network Analysis in Somalia

This chapter uses network analysis to reveal the dynamics and intricate relationships between business, political elites, and armed actors in Somalia. The prolonged civil war has fostered cooperation, in the form of loose networks between the private sector and those holding power. Network analysis could help uncover informal relationships not necessarily otherwise exposed. By modelling an interpretation of the information which can be generated in this way, it considers the interactions between key actors and shows how network analysis can map a topology of those interactions to unravel how groups interact or diverge in terms of ideological positions or different interests. Through the modelling of an anonymized network, the chapter first assesses the method itself and the often-concealed ties as they exist or otherwise. Then, adding context and analysis from qualitative methods, it considers the implications and applications of the data; finally, it recommends to apply the findings to policy-making.