Types of network-based interventions: a conceptual clarification

The term “networks” is frequently used in the field of community intervention in a generic or metaphorical way, without necessarily referring to indicators based on graph theory. With the aim of contributing to greater conceptual clarification, in the first part of this article, we review five operational uses of network analysis in community intervention to evaluate social support resources, identify key players, monitor community coalitions, generate participatory dynamics, and improve program implementation. In the second part, we distinguish four uses of networks in the intervention, namely: preparatory, substantive, performative, and translation. I conclude by examining possible lines of research that could arise from the distinction between the use of networks or the modification of networks in the intervention.