I work with practitioners, researchers, funders, investors and policymakers who are exploring how to understand and contribute to addressing complex social challenges, and who are realising that solutions that are not tailored to particular contexts seldom lead to lasting change.
Most of my work involves helping organisations think through how their ways of working might be better aligned with the complex nature of the challenges they’re focused on. For example, I’ve advised an international foundation on the design of a new learning and policy engagement function; contributed to the design of an information portal to support efforts to address poverty and inequality in the UK; and helped a development funder think through how to draw on its experience to contribute to conversations about economic transformation in Africa.
What I can help with
Research, synthesis and policy engagement
Designing and conducting research, and synthesising evidence and insights from research and practice, so that they’re useful to the people making decisions. For example, for SOAS-ACE: synthesising research on corruption in health systems, developing a guide to applying its framework, and helping to draft a policy brief on addressing corruption in the pharmaceutical sector in Bangladesh. I can also use AI to support this kind of work, in a way that is human-led rather than simply keeping a human in the loop: see AI-supported research synthesis and A human and some loops.
Complexity-aware political economy analysis
Understanding the behaviours, incentives, power and relationships that shape a particular challenge, including its policy dimensions, and identifying realistic entry points for change, using regulatory landscaping. I’m keen, including in collaboration with Zahed Yousuf, to support efforts to apply this approach in different thematic areas, such as corruption and governance, systemic investing, market systems development, regenerative agriculture and peace-building.
Learning to navigate complexity
Helping organisations learn in ways that enable them to operate effectively in complex settings. For example, acting as a sounding board for a philanthropic organisation as it worked to enhance its learning function; developing an approach to assessing and enhancing the quality of relationships for an FCDO-funded portfolio monitoring, evaluation and learning initiative, which became my piece on reflective relational practice; and providing input to a development funder working in Africa as it seeks to improve its knowledge gardening practices. Knowledge gardening is one practice that can support such learning, by tending an evolving body of knowledge so that insights connect, mature and inform action over time.
How I work, and what I don’t do
I’m mostly an adviser and thinking partner. I don’t run large programmes, but I’m happy to join teams, bringing a complexity-aware political economy perspective.
I don’t claim to be an evaluator. But I can support effective learning, and help organisations make their learning processes fit the realities they’re working in.
I don’t offer off-the-shelf toolkits or one-size-fits-all training. My work starts from the recognition that social challenges are complex and emerge in particular contexts, and I work best with clients who are curious about that perspective and wonder what it might look like in practice.
Getting started
My engagements often start with an informal conversation, to get to know each other and explore the scope for collaboration. The next step might be a small piece of work, such as providing feedback on a report or presentation, or sharing some of the fruits of my knowledge gardening. From there, we can see whether there are more substantive ways in which I might support your work.
Beyond developing ideas and frameworks, I’d welcome opportunities to help put them to work in the landscapes where change actually happens. I’m particularly keen to support, and learn alongside, people and organisations in the Global South, including grassroots organisations. When I have capacity and there is the potential for mutual learning, limited financial resources need not be an obstacle to working together.
If that sounds interesting, I'd be glad to hear from you: see Let’s connect.