Translations
of the MSC Guide, and related MSC materials, are available in other
languages. See
the MSC translations blog
A printedcopy (A4 size, spring bound) is available at
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This publication is aimed
at organisations, community groups, students and academics who wish to
use MSC to help monitor and evaluate their social change programs and
projects, or to learn more about how it can be used. The technique is
applicable in many different sectors, including agriculture, education
and health, and especially in development programs. It is also
applicable to many different cultural contexts. MSC has been used in a
wide variety of countries by a range of organisations. By 2004, MSC had
been used both by NGOs and governments in Africa, Asia, Latin America,
Europe and Australasia.
The introductory chapter
provides a quick overview of MSC. In Chapter 2 we focus on the
practicalities of implementing MSC and divide the process into ten
steps. Chapter 3 offers guidance on practical troubleshooting, and
Chapter 4 looks at building capacity for effective use of MSC. In
Chapter 5 we examine how MSC fits into the program cycle and how it can
contribute to program improvement. After Chapter 5, we delve more into
the theory. We believe that MSC can be successfully implemented without
a strong understanding of the theory. So if you just want to know about
the practicalities – stop there! But for those readers who
enjoy a foray into theory, Chapters 6 and 7 examine validity in MSC and
how it fits with other approaches and epistemologies. The final two
chapters outline the evolution of MSC: where it came from and where it
might be heading next. The structure of this Guide reflects our attempt
to cater for different types of use. We want the Guide to be of
practical help to those choosing to implement MSC for the first time.
But we also want to provide information and analysis that will be of
use to those who are already experienced in using MSC yet want to
extend their knowledge of the technique or refine the way they use it.
As well as addressing the needs of practitioners, we also hope to
address the interests of those doing research on MSC and related
methods of participatory and qualitative research.
The production of the guide
was funded by CARE International | Oxfam Community Aid Abroad,
Australia | Learning to Learn, Government of South Australia | Oxfam,
New Zealand | Christian Aid, United Kingdom | Exchange, United Kingdom
| Ibis, Denmark | Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke (MS), Denmark | Lutheran
World Relief, United States of America
(posted 21/03/05)
See also the original 1996 paper on MSC by Rick Davies, at www.mande.co.uk/docs/ccdb.htm
and Rick's 1998 PhD
thesis, one chapter of which is on the use of MSC in
Bangladesh. The thesis also provides more information on the theory
that informed the design of MSC.
