Market-based approaches are increasingly widespread in the development community. Indeed, microfinance and microinsurance, market linkages, income generating activities, entrepreneurship support, value chain upgrading, and other interventions are commonly used. These approaches often promise to be more financially sustainable than traditional development approaches, and to develop local ownership over projects.
However, and despite being increasingly common, market-based development is often misunderstood. In particular, the distinctions between different interventions are often unclear, as is the relationship between traditional and market-based development. Furthermore, when and where market-based development should be used is also a matter of contention. Moreover, market-based development is often criticized as being exploitative, leading some organizations to avoid using it.
Given its importance and widespread use, coupled with confusion about its nature, this workshop provides an introduction to market-based development, focused on three main objectives:
- Position market-based development relative to other development approaches, so as to comprehend when market-based development is ideal
- Understand the most common forms of market-based development, especially the activities they involve, and the goals they try to accomplish.
- Analyze a given socioeconomic context to recognize the types of market-based development that might be most useful.
The workshop will be interactive in nature, so please be prepared to participate and share your understanding with others. Much of this interaction will focus on real world examples. To that end, if you would like to share any of the market-based development interventions you have been involved with, please let the organizer know at patrick.shulist@aalto.fi.
The instructor for this event will be Dr. Patrick Shulist, an Assistant Professor at Aalto University. He has over a decade of experience researching and designing market-based interventions with partner organizations.
The participation fee is 25€ for Fingo member organisations, 50€ for other NGOs and 100€ for other participants. If the fee is a challenge to participation, please contact: koulutus@fingo.fi.
The workshop will be held at Fingo’s training premises, Lintulahdenkuja 10, 00500 Helsinki, 2nd floor. Read more about reimbursement of travel expenses: https://fingo.fi/en/services/training/prices-and-terms-and-conditions/
Please register for the training by filling in the registration form by 6.10.