About me

I am an independent researcher and program evaluator; right now I am co-founder and Director at Causal Map Ltd.

Links

• PhD
• PDFs of reports and publications
• LinkedIn (I write frequently on evaluation issues)
• Publications on Google Scholar
• Research Gate

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.

Bio

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.

Work

Web apps

• Causal Map - for constructing causal maps from text.
• Qualia - an AI interviewer for evaluation and social research.
• Theorymaker - for constructing Theories of Change.

Evaluation

I have been lucky enough to work 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 and counting stray dogs in Sarajevo.

Everyone Counts

As a freelancer, I often work for international development and disaster recovery programmes. This has meant working with some great people, especially at the IFRC. I was honoured to be Lead Researcher and Statistican for several global “Everyone counts” reports based on the FDRS.

Attic of of random writings

Evaluation & research

• Reproducible research (explained for clients)
• Starter kit for reproducible research with R
• Beaufort and rubrics
• Small conservation grants (IUCN)
• Segregated education (plot)
• Evaluation puzzles
• Theorymaker lives again
• Shutdown of the original Theorymaker

Causal mapping

• Causal Mapping (older guide)
• Causal Map Guide (Version 2)

Teaching English

• Tenses in Colour

Theories of Change in evaluation

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 called Theorymaker. There have been many versions, here is the latest one.

Publications

Causal mapping

Our Garden of causal mapping ideas.

See the bilbiography.

Psychology

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.