WHAT CAN PSA HELP ME UNDERSTAND?
Participatory systems analysis can be used to:
Participatory systems analysis can add value to a project because it reduces the risk of rejection by the system actors when it is implemented. The strategies and activities of a project that has been analysed and designed with the stakeholders are more likely to be appropriate for their needs and driven by themselves (rather than pushed out by the project). This, in turn, leverages the resources of the system actors and increases the commitment of their participation.
Participatory analysis with stakeholders helps us gain a better understanding of:
WHAT ARE SOME SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS OF PSA?
The following are examples of how participatory systems analysis can be used with different stakeholders:
Participatory analysis can be done by a project team internally. It can be done at any stage of the project cycle. For example, to select target populations, specific geographic areas within a larger region, an issue (children’s health) or subsector (coffee).
Participatory analysis within the team is useful to:
2. With local system stakeholders
After the team has acquired a reasonable understanding of the system they are trying to influence, they should engage strategic stakeholders to:
3. With donors and investors
Participatory system analysis makes the project more appropriate for the needs of local stakeholders and increases their ownership and long-term engagement. It can also reduce the risks of delays, extra-costs and harmful impacts on people and the environment. This can have positive effects on the donors’ overall assessment of the project and on their willingness to invest in it.
4. With policy-makers
Participatory system analysis convenes a broad range of stakeholders and constituencies to produce information and evidence that can influence the design and improvement of policies. From the perspective of policy-makers, strategies and initiatives for policy change that are the result of participatory systems analysis, are more legitimate and have more political appeal than those that come from a project team.
KEY APPLICATIONS & POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS