Methodology

Market Systems Development (MSD) is a new development approach, which is applied by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) and Helvetas. It is an approach that aims to make the market system function better in order to increase the quality of life for people in need through:

Systemic action – understanding where market systems are failing to serve the needs of marginalised groups (e.g. young women and men), and improving and correcting these shortfalls.

Facilitative role – determining a catalytic purpose for the development agent that stimulates, but does not displace, market functions or actors.

Outreach – encourage private partners with will and skills to grow their business inclusive, respectively cooperate with public actors towards frame conditions that ease inclusive business development.

Sustainable change – delivering sustainable outcomes through competitive market actors, which manage their resources with perspectives of future viability and qualitative growth.