Typically, in projects that follow the Market Systems Development (MSD) approach, the inception phase includes the establishment of initial partnerships to refine engagement strategies and gather early-stage learnings that inform implementation. For RECONOMY, the inception phase was about much more.

With its focus across multiple areas – including regional value addition across 12 countries in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership, mainstreaming of Environment and Climate Change (ECC) considerations, and emphasis on Gender and Social Inclusion – RECONOMY’s design merited a longer-than-usual inception phase which ended up lasting 22 months. The Canopy Lab conducted a case study to harvest the knowledge and experience gained during this time, including how the program navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, political upheaval in Belarus, the war in Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the war in Ukraine.