MSD (Market Systems Development) can be applied to a range of different sectors, ranging from economic development to public services (such as education or public employment services). In order to be recognized as a credible and reliable partner for growth, RisiAlbania is guided by clear core principles which are further outlined in the ‘M4P operational guide’:
M4P Framework
RisiAlbania realizes that performance of the private sector depends on a number of factors in the wider system and that providing direct solutions to businesses will not solve underlying constraints in the wider system. RisiAlbania therefore seeks partnerships that lead to wider systemic change around businesses in specific subsectors in order to achieve large-scale and sustainable impact.
A clear vision of sustainable change needs to be founded on capacities and incentives of market players; it needs to answer essentially two questions: a) who does and b) who pays for functions or services needed for improved private sector performance? Sustainability concerns lie at the core of RisiAlbania’s approach to youth employment; frequent internal and external strategic reviews help to ensure that it remains there.
Research and analysis is vital to understanding the root causes of underperformance and guiding partners towards achieving sustainable change; it is therefore the most powerful tool which is available to RisiAlbania as it establishes credibility towards its partners. RisiAlbania therefore applies a scientific approach to development intervention whereby its intervention design is clearly based on a good understanding of the specific context of a targeted subsector.
RisiAlbania will continuously reassess whether interventions lead to the desired objectives, and adapt strategies where necessary in order to achieve greater effectiveness. RisiAlbania will therefore utilize a monitoring and evaluation system which creates a credible attribution between interventions and their impact and in particular focus on capturing changes at the system level.
While RisiAlbania can catalyze change processes, it will utilize a facilitative approach which emphasizes local ownership of change processes. Interventions will always pursue a pathway to crowding-in in order to ensure that changes and their benefits impact as many as possible.
Creating opportunities for youth employment requires a mix of inputs (advisory and financial services, business environment) that are integrated so as to form an enabling ecosystem.
