Information Exchange and Use among Actors Involved in Tanzania’s Local Primary Education Governance: Insights from Social Network Analysis in Two Mvomero District Villages

Abstract

It is nowadays widely acknowledged that the exchange of information, both horizontally and vertically, between different actors involved in governance processes is critical for reaching outcomes. One way to grasp local governance realities is through social network analysis which is particularly apt to map and understand patterns of relations among a delineated set of actors. This article draws upon data from a network survey among actors involved in primary education governance in two Mvomero district villages to study information exchange and use. As informal relations and institutions tend to be equally important, we also map and analyse informal relations between the different actors. Findings amongst others reveal that there is hardly any (horizontal) exchange of education- related information between the two villages. This lack of exchange among village actors that are similarly positioned foregoes opportunities to combine resources and creates a learning deficit in solving similar education-related problems.