SIG: Social Networks and the Diffusion of Intervention Effects

Many evaluation studies assess the direct effect of an intervention on program participants, but what if interventions also indirectly affect individuals who did not participate? One process that could lead to these indirect effects is diffusion, in which intervention effects spread from participants to non-participants through social networks. This SIG has two goals: (1) to foster discussion about how social networks might promote the diffusion of intervention effects and (2) to foster collaborations among researchers who study social networks and those who develop and evaluate interventions. Participants will discuss questions such as: What social processes might facilitate diffusion? How might the structure of social networks facilitate – or hinder – diffusion? How can we design studies to measure diffusion through social networks? How can intervention programs themselves be designed to facilitate diffusion? What are the challenges to studying the role of social networks in facilitating diffusion, and how can these challenges be addressed?