Table 2 Social network analyses hypotheses and metrics

WHO health system governance characteristics hypotheses and measures for network connectivity

Characteristic 1: Capacity to effectively engage with and handle multiple scales (e.g. levels and sectors of the health system)

Reachability: Networks with a high level of reachability have the ability to access various sources of information.

Distance: The shorter the distance between the actors the faster the diffusion of information. Networks with short average path length are more likely to facilitate the widespread diffusion of information

Characteristic 2: Capacity to anticipate and cope with uncertainties and surprises

Centralization: A centralized structure has a higher capacity to coordinate actors and provide rapid response

Betweenness: Rapid response occurs when the key actors have the ability to reach all the players in the network

Characteristic 3: Capacity to combine and integrate different forms of knowledge

Reachability: The diversity of technical knowledge can be achieved through relationships with actors that belong to other spheres or subnetworks.

Density: Dense networks are more likely to facilitate the transfer of information however actors in a dense network have difficulty in accessing diverse forms of knowledge

Theory of network diffusion hypotheses and measures for network efficiency and effectiveness

Structural holes: Network with more structural holes is more efficient for the diffusion of information

Redundancy: Less redundancy means a more efficient network for the relaying of information

Homophily: Novel information is more likely to enter heterogeneous networks while homophily in a network can be a barrier to accessing new information