McCormick+Schmitz Handbook for value chain research on - PACA

Part II. Methodology
This third part of the manual discusses ways of designing and carrying out <strong>research</strong> that
are particularly useful <strong>for</strong> examining <strong>value</strong> <strong>chain</strong>s. It is impossible to include in a manual
such as this a detailed treatment of <strong>research</strong> designs and complex methods such as survey
<strong>research</strong> or participant observation. 7 We have, however, added an Appendix which gives
an introduction to <strong>research</strong> design and methods. You may also find it useful if you need a
refresher.
The main messages of Part II of this manual are:
• be driven by the question(s) you seek to answer and not the method;
• often the most effective way of answering your question is to use a combination of
methods and sources;
• <strong>chain</strong> analysis is mainly about relationships; hear both sides of the story;
• feed your analysis back to the stakeholders; it helps to bring about change;
• mapping gives power: it helps to show up bottlenecks, inequities and leverage points
<strong>for</strong> action.
8. Mapping the <strong>chain</strong>: first principles
Mapping a <strong>chain</strong> means giving a visual representation of the connections between actors.
In its simplest <strong>for</strong>m it is merely a flow diagram. More sophisticated versions show that
some actors (enterprises) differ in size and that some connections are more important than
others; and they help to identify bottlenecks and leverage points. Chain maps help to get
a quick grasp of complicated realities. Constructing a map, however, is not a quick job.
How long it takes depends on how much you already know about the enterprises and
workers whose place in the global economy you try to capture.
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If you need to dig deeper, consult one or two <strong>research</strong> methods text books that will give a more detailed
treatment of the methods you will be using. If possible, one of these books should be from the country
or region in which you are working, as such books are more likely than standard northern texts to give
relevant examples and culturally appropriate advice.
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