Digging deeper: BEAM commissions new research on market system approaches

Learn about three exciting new pieces of research. 

Market systems approaches to development are an increasing focus for policy makers and practitioners. However, these approaches are, by nature, complex and diverse. And they are still evolving. Understanding and analysing this complexity, diversity and evolution – getting to grips with how this approach is being applied, what is working (and what isn't) and why – is as essential as the work itself.

This is why BEAM Exchange, after an extensive selection process, has commissioned three new pieces of exciting research. 

1. Insight Health Advisors will start a one-year research project looking at what policy environments enable or constraint market based approaches to deliver health services to the poor, and how can these be strengthened. They will be collecting primary data in Kenya, Uganda and India
2. MarketShare Associates will look at how bottom up approaches and informal rules can interact to catalyse systemic empowerment for women. Building on the research undertaken for the USAID-funded Leveraging Economic Opportunities (LEO) project, the research team will do two field-based case studies in collaboration with select market systems projects focused on women’s empowerment, and conduct various ‘mini-cases’ to validate key findings from the cases to enable generalisable learning across projects. 
3. Nathan Associates will explore how market systems practitioners can move from the initial market diagnosis to a successful intervention. The research will identify the practical tools and methods applied by market development programmes in the field to date and assess how these overcome the problems and challenges regarding this key transitional period, trying to look for the patterns of success. 

BEAM's research programme aims to:

• help practitioners better design and implement market systems programmes, based on evidence
• work with policy advisers in donor agencies to support them in their decision-making related to market-based approaches
• bring an independent and critical perspective to strengthen the credibility of market systems approaches, especially with more sceptical audiences;
• support work to develop new thinking or test new approaches; complementing other work streams more focused on learning from what is already being done. 

We will be announcing new research plans very soon, including a new call for proposals for Phase II. 

All three research programmes will be engaging directly with practitioners through webinars, discussion forums and direct interviews. If you have something to contribute to the issues that they are researching, please email me.