ABSTRACT
This chapter is a theory-building endeavor aimed at developing an interpretative model of network performance by systematizing and enhancing the existing literature and by analyzing a longitudinal case study. The case study used in this chapter—a network active in the fight against malaria in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray—has been chosen as it is particularly appropriate for the aims of this research as both the problem it tackles and the characteristics of the network established to deal with it are very complex. Furthermore, the analysis covers a five-year time frame, permitting the investigation of the network in a dynamic rather than static way. The network includes a diversified pool of actors (public, private and nonprofit, operating globally and locally, located in Europe and Africa). The partners included the Italian Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), Novartis-Italia, the Tigray Health Bureau (THB), the community health workers (CHWs), the San Gallicano Dermatological Institute, and the Italian Hospital of Makallè 1 .
