COURSE CONTENT

CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES
Market systems development, as an approach, has its roots in systems thinking. Before delving into the practical elements of market systems development implementation, it is helpful to explore some of the concepts at a broader level. Explore areas such as: How is a market facilitation approach different? What do we really mean by 'market systems'? How can systems be inclusive?
  • Market Facilitation
  • Market Systems​
TECHNICAL CONCEPTS
A series of technical concepts are useful as a foundation for good market systems development practice. Many of these concepts are drawn from other sectors, outside of the development sector. Explore areas such as: How can we understand competition and cooperation between market actors? What does it mean to amplify? What is leverage?
  • Collaboration & Competition
  • Amplification
  • Buying Down Risk
  • Leverage​
TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION
Explore how conceptual approaches and technical concepts are implemented in practice in input markets, output markets, support markets, and cross-cutting markets.
  • Input Market Systems
  • Output Buyer Market Systems
  • Support Market Systems 
  • Financial Market Systems
  • Amplification Tactics
  • Sequencing
MARKET ACTOR INTERACTION
Explore how to interact with market actors, including identifying who to work with, approaching the private sector, and working with them in practice. Explore how this differs from market interaction in a more traditional approach.
  • Reaching out to the Private Sector 
  • Working with the Private Sector 
  • Agreements with Private Sector ​
MARKET ANALYTICS
Market analytics involves analyzing market systems to understand the behavior of market actors and the system overall. Explore how to analyze value chains, the behavior of systems, the business environment, and gender-related issues.
  • Value Chain Analysis 
  • Behavioral Analysis 
  • System Analysis 
  • Business Environment Analysis ​
MONITORING & LEARNING
Monitoring, evaluation and learning are important to provide feedback loops and assess impact. Explore monitoring and evaluation methods and considerations, and practical application of ongoing learning and adaptation as a result.
  • Monitoring
  • Evaluation​
ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT
Effective operational management is key in supporting market systems development approaches. Learn how to adapt contract management, human resource management, and financial management in market systems project contexts. Explore principles and examples of adaptive management in practice.
  • Contract Management Tools
  • Financial Management Tools
  • Human Resources Management Tools
  • Adaptive Management Overview
  • Building a Learning Culture
VULNERABLE GROUP BEHAVIORS
Vulnerable groups, such as women, youth and pastoralists, are both important beneficiaries and actors within market systems development contexts. Explore why a system has created barriers around a specific group and how to lower or understand those barriers. Consider how to reduce the system's pressures to categorize and create barriers between groups, for example, gender norms that are disempowering. Discover how to apply practical strategies and tactics.
  • Women
  • Youth
  • Nutrition​