What's in a Doughnut? A Critical Analysis of 'Functions' and 'Rules'
Abstract
The doughnut diagram central to Market Systems Development provides a visual representation of core functions, supporting functions, and rules that shape market systems. However, this paper argues that these concepts lack sufficient precision for rigorous system diagnosis and intervention design. By applying Actions & Actors System Mapping, the paper demonstrates how supporting functions and rules can be more explicitly explained in terms of the specific actions, actors, and resources involved. The paper reveals fundamental ambiguities in existing MSD concepts -particularly how supporting functions and rules abstract away from actors performing them, and how the absence of production as an explicit action obscures important system dynamics. Clarifying these definitions ensures that monitoring and measurement systems can more accurately translate system maps into operational guidance for implementation.
Key takeaways
- Supporting functions and rules can be mapped more precisely through explicit identification of the actions and actors involved, rather than treating them as abstract categories disconnected from who performs them
- The doughnut diagram's lack of clarity about which actors perform which functions makes it difficult to translate system diagnostics into concrete intervention strategies
- Actions and resources must be kept at the centre of system analysis, while functions and rules should be understood as how various actors perform production, exchange, and other actions
- Clarifying the definitions of core system concepts improves the translation between system maps created during diagnosis and the language used in measurement, evaluation, and strategy implementation