The network of local coordinators in the implementation of a community program to prevent drug abuse.

1. The network of local coordinators in the
implementation of a community program to
prevent drug abuse
Isidro Maya-Jariego, Daniel Holgado & DenizaAlieva
4th European Conference on Social Networks
EUSN 2019 - Zurich, 9-12 September 2019

2. Program implementation networks
A decentralized program for the prevention of drug abuse
1. "Cities against Drugs" is a major community prevention
program applied in the cities of Andalusia, in Southern Spain.
2. The regional government defines the objectives of the
program and establishes the general intervention guidelines.
However, each participating municipality decides the priorities,
population and intervention contexts that best suit local needs.
3. Consequently, the intervention is organized into prevention
subunits at the local level, in which there is a person in charge
(a "local coordinator"), who is the professional responsible
for its design, implementation and justification.

3. Program implementation networks
Program coordination versus local adaptation
1. This structure entails an implicit tension between the
integration efforts of the group of participating cities and the
needs of local community adaptation.
2. We can understand the implementation of the "Cities against
Drugs" program as a collaborative network between local
community prevention coordinators.
3. The implementation of programs can be analyzed through (a)
collaborative networks between the facilitators of the
intervention, (b) networks for the exchange of information and
support among the participants in the program, or (c)
collaborative networks of community coalitions and
stakeholders.

4. Program implementation networks
Program coordination versus local adaptation
1. Bonding and bridging social capital can have a differential
impact on the implementation process.
2. The adoption of evidence-based practices depends on control
mechanisms and social pressure from peers; while the fidelity
in the implementation process could be influenced by access to
information and resources through intermediaries (Neal & Neal,
2019).
3. The peripheral "connectors" act as a bridge between the
periphery and the core of the network, while the central
"coordinators" connect a large number of actors and have a
central position (Angst, Widmer, Fischer & Ingold, 2018).

5. Program implementation networks
Aims
• To describe how coordination is combined among the multiple
local contexts in which the program is applied, with the
adaptation to the particularities of each community:
• We describe the implementation of the community prevention program
"Cities against Drugs", through the social network of professional
exchanges among local coordinators in the province of Seville
• We explore the role of the central "coordinators" and the peripheral
"connectors" in the network of facilitators

6. Methods
Participants
• We interviewed 45 local
coordinators of the "Cities
against Drugs" program in the
province of Seville, from a total
of 52 cities participating in said
demarcation.
• The participants had an
average of 38.24 months in
charge of the program, with a
great variability among
municipalities (SD = 27.74).

7. Methods
Instruments
• Semi-structured interview.
• Network of collaboration between local coordinators:
1. A list with the 52 local coordinators of the province of Seville was
presented to respondents, specifying in each case the name and the
city of reference.
2. For each of them, they were asked to indicate the intensity of (a) the
personal relationship and (b) the professional relationship.
3. Scale of 0 to 3, where 0 corresponds to "we have no relationship"; 1,
"we have coincided in some joint meeting"; 2, "we maintain some
exchange of materials or occasional informal contact"; and 3, "we have
a permanent professional contact".

8. Methods
Data analysis and procedure
• First, an exploratory visual analysis of the data was carried out,
combining the representation of the centrality and geographical
location of the local coordinators of the program.
• Next, descriptive analyzes of the core-periphery structure were
carried out and a meta-representation of the data was elaborated
using the clustered graphs technique.
• “Coordinators” versus “connectors”:
• Nodal betweenness centrality.
• Number of components after removing the node.
• Clique overlap centrality.
• Cluster analysis combining experience in the program and structural indicators.

9. Results
The social network of the local coordinators forms a core-periphery structure,
clearly influenced by the geographical position of the participating cities.

10. Results
The geographic distance to the capital
and the permanence in the program
seem to be reflected indirectly in the
centrality of the local facilitators.

11. Results
In the geographical center, experienced facilitators have a central coordinating
role ("coordinators"). In the geographical periphery, experienced facilitators
contribute to local adaptation ("connectors").

12. Results
The combination of geographic location with experience in the application of the
program and inter-professional connections provides a clearer differentiation of
the profiles of local coordinators in the implementation process.
Table 2
Types of local coordinators in the "Cities against Drugs" program
Cluster 1 (N= 4)
“Coordinators”
Cluster 2 (N= 4)
“Connectors”
Cluster 3
(N= 15)
Cluster 4
(N= 22)
Distance 20 100.5 81.4 26.18
Experience 102 64.75 21.4 34.86
Betweenness 9.07 4.31 1.09 1.48
Clique overlaps 32.25 16.75 4.33 5.91

13. Conclusions
Table 4
Two roles in the implementation of community prevention in multiple sites
Roles Description
Central "Coordinators"  Experienced facilitators.
 In municipalities near the capital.
 They provide work models and give operational support.
 They exchange good intervention practices.
Peripheral "Connectors"  Experienced facilitators
 In remote municipalities of the capital.
 They give operational support to isolated municipalities.
 They disseminate good intervention practices.
 Propose local needs.

14. Conclusions
Characteristics of the network of facilitators of the
program “Cities against Drugs”
• Core-periphery structure in the network of professional
exchanges.
• Geographical proximity increases the likelihood of being
connected.
• The distance to the capital and the time of permanence in the
program are reflected in the centrality.
• Coordinators and connectors bridge the implementation of the
program.

15. Conclusions
Coordinators and connectors in program
implementation
• The implementation of community prevention programs that are
applied in multiple community contexts faces the double
challenge of guaranteeing a consistent application in each
locality and adapting to the peculiarities of each community.
• In our case study, the network of local coordinators had two
differentiated roles that facilitated the balance between both
principles during the implementation process.
• The central coordinators proved to have a fundamental role in
the coordination of the program, while the peripheral
connectors were related to adjustment to the specific
community context as well as to local needs.

16. Coordinators and connectors
Gracias
Laboratorio de Redes Personales y Comunidades
https://laboratorioderedes.wordpress.com/
To cite this paper: Maya-Jariego, I., Holgado, D. & Alieva, D. (2019). The network of local
coordinators in the implementation of a community program to prevent drug abuse. 4th
European Conference on Social Networks (EUSN2019), Zurich, September 9-12.