Fuelled by increasing uncertainty about the future as well as the need to protect development investments in the face of recurring crises, resilience has recently garnered much interest in the development community. Though many practitioners and donors are now struggling to operationalise and measure resilience, debate regarding how a resilience lens can be best integrated into development strategies continues.
Some experts have suggested that market development programming inherently results in resilience gains. Others have argued that additional considerations and efforts are necessary. Using examples from Mercy Corps’ programming in East Africa and South Asia, Eliot Levine and Sasha Muench illustrate how market systems development can contribute to resilience if appropriate efforts are taken in the design, management, and monitoring of programmes. They also address the potential negative impacts that can occur if interventions are not assessed with a resilience lens.