Application of social network analysis to the institutional relations of the Higher Education System in the Rivera region-Livramento

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a research-action project carried out in Rivera (Uruguay) and the Binational Conurbation that integrates with Livramento (Brazil). The research aimed to strengthen a university region in this Conurbation, a pole of attraction for students from various adjacent areas. The study analyzes the institutional relations in the higher education system between 2020 and 2021 and proposes actions that can become territorial economic development. Relevant actors were identified through in-depth interviews. The actors analyzed are institutional (universities, trade and business associations, municipalities, and others). These actors are then interpreted as nodes of an institutional network through social network analysis (SNA) using Gephi software. Relationships between the institutions of the higher educational system in Rivera were identified (for example, joint careers, agreements, and research). The nodes were georeferenced (using GeoLayout), creating a dynamic institutional mapping. However, both in the local imaginary and the discourse of the authorities, Rivera and Livramento must work to consolidate themselves as a university region. In this research, it was observed that there are still no complete and agreed strategic lines in this regard. In this sense, the application of social network analysis also makes it possible to think about and encourage the application of public policies from a network and collaboration perspective between institutions to achieve complex community objectives.