Market analysis

07

Participatory methods

Participatory market analysis empowers stakeholders ‒ particularly the poor or marginalised that would otherwise not have a forum ‒ to engage with the decision-making process. 

Participatory methods aim to bring together powerful players (such as corporations, public policy advisors, and banks) with other market actors (traders, service providers, transporters) and the poor (as producers or consumers). Participatory methods can involve components of analysis, intervention, monitoring or a combination of all. 

Participatory market mapping is a journey, which starts with market actors having an individual understanding of their market context, to a point at which a shared understanding exists and joint actions are taken. Practical Action identified a recurrent set of four milestones along this journey explained in the diagram below.

Milestones in participatory market mapping

Participatory market mapping workshops bring key actors together to:

  • form a shared understanding and vision of a market system
  • identify and prioritise blockages and opportunities
  • develop collaborative solutions to key market challenges.

Stakeholder workshops

SEEP Network guide on how to prepare stakeholder workshops.

Workshops can increase market actors' understanding about how their market system works, and at the same time build trust between market actors. This in turn empowers them to own the process of improving their market system. 

Participatory market systems development (PMSD): Participatory market mapping

Guide on facilitating a participatory market mapping exercise.

Facilitating multi-stakeholder processes: training around uncertainty and complexity

How to facilitate multi-stakeholder processes.