|||
I am an independent researcher and program evaluator; right now I am co-founder and Director at Causal Map Ltd.
This blog is like an attic where I put stuff that doesn’t fit in any of those categories. Up to January 2024 there was quite a lot of old stuff here which I have now removed. Contact me if you are looking for something ancient and can’t find it.
I was based in Sarajevo 1997-2017, where I did a lot of research in B&H and the Balkans.
In Sarajevo I cofounded proMENTE social research, where I also worked. Prior to proMENTE, I worked as Programme Manager of a series of academic and training projects for students and psychosocial professionals in South-East Europe for the University of Munich with Prof. Willi Butollo.
Now I have moved with my family to Clevedon, near Bristol in the UK, where I am working with Causal Map Ltd to build the first (we think) app for causal QDA. This is a really exciting voyage of discovery.
As you might be able to guess from the above, I have studied philosophy, maths and psychology.
I have over 25 years’ experience in research, monitoring and evaluation, as well as communicating the results, in about 30 different countries (mainly SE Europe, S & SE Asia / Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa) on a wide variety of topics from disaster response in Haiti and psychosocial programming after the 2004 tsunami to social capital in the former Soviet Union, biodiversity in W Africa, community resilience in East Africa and counting stray dogs in Sarajevo.
I am strong in both quantitative (GIS, “big data”, online & mobile, SPSS; R) and qualitative (Outcome Mapping, text analysis) research and evaluation approaches. I try to make my evidence-gathering transparent and am convinced of the importance of reproducible research.
As a freelancer, I mostly deal with monitoring, evaluation and research for international development and disaster recovery programmes. This has meant working with some great people, especially at the IFRC. So I set up M&E systems and also conduct evaluations and carry out research. Subject-wise I try to remain a generalist, because I love dipping into different themes as necessary, from environmental protection and beneficiary communication to volunteerism and PTSD.
My special interest is causal mapping and theories of change in evaluation.
A while ago I wrote a set of slides on Theories of Change.
I also provide a free web app for constructing graphical Theories of Change using a visual and written language I call “Theorymaker”. It is text-based. I’ve lost the code for the original version, but I recently made an AI version for fun.
My academic research has been mainly in the field of clinical psychology especially after war, covering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and post-traumatic growth.
This work was mostly together with colleagues from Sarajevo and the University of Munich, especially Maria Hagl. My PhD sums it up.
