Economic specialisms, cost benefit analysis, value for money

I have strong development economics sector specific expertise in:

• Health economics (reproductive maternal and child health, animal health and anti microbial resistance, malaria, tropical diseases, HIV, nutrition, animal health and antimicrobial resistance)
• Public financial management
• Trade economics (regional trade in West Africa)
• Environmental economics (climate change in particular – mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, water, conservation agriculture)
• Economics of education 
• Macroeconomic growth and livelihoods
• Industrial economics – UK competition policy, UK  telecoms regulation market mechanisms and incentives based instrument design

Value for Money… 

I have extensive experience and  knowledge of VFM, having worked in this field since 2010.  My focus is bringing out the value element of programmes during M&E by bringing in the cost dimension to evaluations and programme design choices. I have a very strong foundation quantitative rigorous cost benefit analysis, cost effectiveness analysis, return on investment. I also often take a more holistic and creative approach, especially in behaviour change and less tangible projects. In these cases mixed methods is often more appropriate.

Recent and current consultancies  include:

• VFM adviser with Key Aid Consulting for a  DFID funded study on the VFM of cash transfer programme models (current)
• VFM expert to DFID and Population Council for Adolescent girls empowerment Initiative in Kenya (AGI)using RCT data (current)
• VFM adviser to British Council on various projects (TREE, AAWAZ II) and setting up a VFM Strategy and toolkit, and training staff internally
• Quantitative Cost benefit analysis of Veterinary labs for the OIE
• Quantitative Cost benefit analysis for British Council Empowerment Fund bids
• Guidance notes and training courses for British Council, OIE, Start Network on Cost benefit analysis and social return on investment
• VFM adviser as part of the Evidence and Learning Facility of South Sudan (ELFSS)
• VFM adviser to the real-time evaluation of the £28m Final CBE Cycle 4 and 5 VfM Report (1)
• VFM adviser to the ongoing  DFID Humanitarian Innovation and Evidence Programme
• VFM adviser for the evaluation of  the DFID Bangladesh child nutrition programme 
• VFM adviser of the independent real time evaluation of the DFID Disaster, Emergency Preparedness Programme (DEPP)
• VFM assessment of the Northern Kenya cash transfers programme
• VFM assessment of the DFAT $0.5bn  Education Partnership in Indonesia  (2014)
• SIDA and ICRC value for money guidance note  (2013)
• VFM advisory and training services to varous private sector consultancies, and NGOs, eg. Oxfam, Start Network,  US-based NGO EngenderHealth, International Labour Organisation, Tony Blair Institute

• DFID Infrastructure professional cadre – VFM guidance note for infrastructure programmes – (Co-author 2012)Measure Maximize VfM in Infrastructure ASI
• DFID Southern Africa – Africa climate change programmes VFM metrics – focusing on energy sector programmes including renewables infrastructure, mitigation for on and off grid solutions and adaptation (2011)
• Contribution to DFID cash transfers VFM guidance paper
• DFID Afghanistan: VFM metrics for education, livelihoods and governance programmes for their internal strategy on VFM.