- Published by
- BEAM Exchange
A narrative synthesis of current evidence. What does the current evidence base say about the impact of programmes using the market systems approach?
The BEAM Exchange regularly collates and analyses different types of published evidence documents that describe the results achieved by programmes. Currently there are around 275 evidence documents in the BEAM Evidence map, that meet our stringent inclusion criteria.
This review provides an analysis of 72 documents, mostly published in the last three years. They included impact evaluations, reports, evidence briefs and case studies.
Even though evidence of ex-post evaluations remains scarce, the review highlights successful systemic changes and long-term impacts of MSD programmes, particularly in Africa and Asia, demonstrating sustained benefits even after programme completion.
While the report showcases positive outcomes, it also identifies challenges such as publication bias, where only successful interventions are highlighted, and a lack of transparency in reporting costs and failures. It calls for better documentation of unsuccessful projects to inform future MSD strategies, as well as improvements in measuring value for money.
The review emphasises MSD's scalability and its potential for broader applications across various development sectors.
- Watch the webinar that took place on 5 November 2024 - Reviewing the latest evidence: what impact has the MSD approach achieved? with Tom Hilton (author of the Evidence Review), Ajla Vilogorac (CAPRED) and Ben Fowler (MarketShare Associates)