Free services for community groups with zero budget
If you’re a local group (let’s say Scotland, but let’s chat…), or based in the Majority World and trying to influence politics / change in the UK, please get in touch and we can see if I can offer services voluntarily. This may be wording letters to local representatives, surveying members, facilitating workshops, or getting a sense of what the academic literature is talking about in your area.

Discounts for social justice organisations
I recognise that many organisations and community groups would benefit from engaging with or producing research, but may lack resources or have highly ring-fenced funding models. I offer a discount for small justice-focused organisations, and I can tailor research designs or other services to keep costs as low as possible. The discount is applied on my labour costs which in most cases will be the bulk of the expense. 

“I have funders, how do I demonstrate value for money?”
Firstly, I’m happy to work with organisations on funding bids if they would like to include research or other services as part of the project. This approach worked well recently when I hosted a workshop on a participant engagement methodology, and the client included the specific methodology in a successful, multi-stakeholder bid.

Secondly, because I am an independent consultant with very few overheads, I can offer academic rigour at a substantially lower rate than the ‘full cost recovery’ contracts that university consultancy agreements use. (For example, I offer consultancy/research work around 66% cheaper than my same services employed through a recent (typical) university.)

Thirdly, and most importantly, funders or other decision makers generally like to see an evidence basis. Conducting a systematic literature review or developing a method to co-produce knowledge with your stakeholders, or other services, can mean your project is firmly based in evidence, and that this has been conducted in line with your organisation’s values. That might mean learning new directions (or where not to go) for your project, which could save resources in the longer term.

Why am I different?
I believe good academic work is grounded in community needs, public value, and an awareness of intersectional injustice. I’ve also worked in and with campaigning organisations where the need for being ‘evidence-based’ meets the difficulty of engaging with social science research, learning from frontline and impacted communities, and valuing diverse forms of knowledge and expertise. Simply getting this kind of essential knowledge in front of, and valued by, decision makers can be a struggle.

I offer academic rigour with an understanding of the practicalities of campaigning organisations, the need to communicate complex information in engaging and accessible ways, and to do so with varied audiences. Alongside my academic work, I have presented evidence (written and oral) to Scottish and UK Parliaments, collaborated with international teams setting up academic-activist journals, volunteered with activist groups, and coordinated successful, multi-organisation national campaigns. 

To keep up to date, and make sure I can draw on the latest best practice and state of knowledge, I am active in academic and campaigning networks, such as with the Political Studies Association. As well as my individual and group research projects, I work with organisations to add academic rigour to their project by submitting work to conference and peer review – I can usually offer this for free, as it benefits me (and future working relationships) to be active in academic networks of shared social change values. 

I do not work with unethical companies or other bad-faith actors, or the ‘think tanks’ they fund. I also use open-source technology wherever possible to ensure that the systems that hold your data are transparent and auditable. I use end-to-end encryption on all stored and shared data, and am happy to work within end-to-end encrypted communication if this is your preference.

What is the idea behind ‘research for social change’?
Research, knowledge, evidence, evaluation, expertise, information, data – these things are not neutral. They emerge from, exist within, and can reproduce systems of power. They can also challenge power.

From how we define a problem, to who decides what gets funded, to what metrics we use to simplify complex reality, the idea of ‘neutrality’ hides these power-laden decisions. And in today’s political moment it needs to be stated: this is not an “anti-science” stance. (Vaccines save lives; climate breakdown is real; and other realities.) But being scientific means engaging with the limitations of reductionism, engaging with ethics and reflection in research (and the troubled histories of some practices), and acknowledging that our work takes place within (and often made possible by) a deeply unequal society.

I specialise in working with organisations and projects that acknowledge this, and believe how we talk about the world is instrumental in how we change it. If we are driven by change – for instance, a charity – then we need to understand how this plays out in the kinds of evidence we generate, work with, and privilege.

I also acknowledge that many organisations are doing amazing work developing their own protocols and principles in these areas, and I’m always eager to learn more. If there are specific processes (like a data management plan or carbon management plan) or broader principles that you need me to build into the work I provide for you, just let me know.