Market Systems Development has emerged in the past two decades as a way to better deliver large‐scale, sustainable development impact to poor and disadvantaged people. It provides a framework to understand the institutional underlying causes of negative development outcomes and a method of intervening in market systems to achieve poverty reduction sustainably.

But have we ever stopped and looked in the past? Here’s where cost-benefit analysis comes into play. But is cost-benefit analysis also a learning tool which can help steer the future of a project? Why should projects conduct such analyses? And what are some of the experiences?

These are some of the questions we’ve explored in this episode with 3 experts who have experience in managing MSD projects and in conducting cost-benefit analyses:

- Siham Boukhali, who’s managing the SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation) mandate for Economic and Financial Analysis at Helvetas. She has multi-country experience working for multinational companies in financial services.  

- Pieter Ypma, who’s Project Director of the Enhancing Youth Employment project in Kosovo, which is implemented by Helvetas and financed by the SDC.  

- Roman Troxler, who’s a certified and experienced evaluator of employment and economic development projects, for example Helvetas-implemented projects of the SDC like the Enhancing Youth Employment project in Kosovo and the Education for Employment project in North Macedonia.

We have interesting topics coming up, so stay tuned!