Map the market system structure and understand its operation and dynamics
To build a market map you need to follow the following steps;
- understand the structure and interactions: Start by mapping the roles of poor women and men and the transaction(s) they have (or don’t have) with other market players, ie the ‘core function’ of the market system.
- Understanding dynamics: Don’t just copy a decade-old subsector map from the internet. Understand the dynamics of the system in which you are looking to intervene. This means understanding whether the performance of market players has improved or worsened over time, or stagnated in a low-level equilibrium. And it means looking for signs the situation might change in the future.
- Assessing performance of market players: As you map a market system’s supporting functions, rules, players and relationships, you will begin to gain an insight into their performance.
Key questions include:
- How have transactions changed over time?
- Have any major events altered the way the system works?
- How has the behaviour of key players changed in response?