Step 2: Defining domains of change. (KEY POINTS)

Davis and Dart (2005, pages 17-22) say that domains are broad and often fuzzy categories of possible SC stories. In CCDB, participants in MSC were asked to look for significant changes in four domains:

• changes in the quality of people’s lives
• changes in the nature of people’s participation in development activities
• changes in the sustainability of people’s organisations and activities
• any other changes.

A domain of change is not an indicator. Good indicators are supposed to be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound). Indicators must be defined so that everyone interprets them in the same way. Domains of change, on the other hand, are deliberately fuzzy to allow people to have different interpretations of what constitutes a change in that area.

How many domains should be used?

In our experience, between three and five domains is a manageable number. The limiting factor is how much time participants are willing to spend in discussing each domain. Participants may find the process too time-consuming if it takes more than two hours to review changes in all the domains in any one meeting.

Are domains essential?

Domains are not essential. MSC stories can be collected and analysed as a group without first being categorised into domains. Participants can be asked to go out and look for significant changes without being given guidance in the form of specific domains of concern. With smaller organisations where there are likely to be fewer SC stories to examine, the MSC approach will probably be easier without domains.

In organisations such as VSO, field staff are asked to identify and document MSC stories of any kind. It is only when the stories reach the country office level that they are categorised into domains that are of concern to the country office and to VSO headquarters in UK.

Letting middle and upper level staff within an organisation categorise MSC stories into domains produces some incidental benefits. If the domains are focused on organisational objectives, then the sorting decisions tell the rest of the organisation how those staff interpret the meaning of those objectives.

PROPOSED QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:

• Should we use 'domains' or not?
• If yes, which 'domains' are appropriate for the Markets and Livelihoods Programme?