Most Significant Change
The Most Significant Change (MSC) technique is a participatory, story-based approach to monitoring and evaluation developed by Rick Davies and refined with Jess Dart. It involves the systematic collection of stories of significant change from the field and the deliberative selection of the most significant of these by panels of stakeholders. There are no predefined indicators; instead, value judgements about what change matters most are made transparently by those involved, making MSC especially suited to capturing unexpected and qualitative outcomes in complex programs.
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Sources
- Davies, R., & Dart, J. (2005). The 'Most Significant Change' (MSC) Technique: A Guide to Its Use. link ↗
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 22). Most Significant Change (MSC) Technique. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/public-policy/most-significant-change
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Set this method beside its closest kin and read them side by side — the library lays the books on the table; the choice is yours.
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