About Us
Steve Powell has been working with Fiona Remnant and James Copestake from Bath Social and Development Research Ltd since 2019 to bring Causal Map to life. We are all interested in causal mapping in different forms, and Bath SDR had a particular need for an accessible coding and analysis solution for users of QuIP. The result of this hard work is much more; a standalone product designed to be used by any researcher interested in causal connections. In summer 2020 we set up Causal Map Ltd to further develop and promote the app.
We look forward to seeing where this adventure in mapping takes us!
STEVE
Co-founder and Director
Steve has led and contributed to research and evaluation projects in many countries around the world over the last 25 years. He has worked on a wide range of topics, from psychosocial programming after the 2004 tsunami and community resilience in East Africa to counting stray dogs in Sarajevo. Steve has expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation approaches. He gained his PhD in psychology researching post-traumatic stress after the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
This research and evaluation work left Steve longing for a better way to collect and synthesise people’s ideas about ‘what influences what’. This inspired Steve to co-found Causal Map Ltd.
JAMES
Co-founder
Dr James Copestake is Professor of International Development at the University of Bath. His interests span agrarian change, rural development, development finance and evaluation, poverty and wellbeing and the political economy of international development and the interactions between these diverse topics.
James is author of the Qualitative Impact Protocol and worked with Fiona to set up Bath SDR to continue working on the research. He is also Director of Studies for the professional Doctorate in Policy Research and Practice (DPRP), Director of the Centre for Development Studies, and author of Attributing Development Impact. James’ interest in Causal Map stems from his work on understanding the intersection between theories of change and people’s mental models of change, and the role causal mapping can play in this research.
FIONA
Co-founder and Director
Fiona is a communications and research professional, with a special interest in the practical application of academic research in the international development sector. She has worked in communications in the private and NGO sector, in both regional and international roles, including four years in Sri Lanka at the Centre for Poverty Analysis.
Fiona was co-author of the Qualitative Impact Protocol whilst working at the Centre for Development Studies at the University of Bath, and co-founded Bath Social and Development Research (Bath SDR) Ltd in 2016 to promote more and better use of the QuIP.
Fiona works with Steve on the experience learned from causal mapping QuIP data to help with the design of Causal Map.
HANNAH
Outreach specialist
Hannah is a project manager at Bath SDR, who works with Steve to improve educational materials and support users of the app. She also works to promote use and understanding of the tool through the creation of online content.
Hannah has previously held communications and outreach roles in the charity sector and brings this experience to her role with Casual Map. They studied International Development at both undergraduate and Masters level with a particular interest in sustainability. Throughout this time she became increasingly interested in the theories and tools surrounding qualitative data analysis.