My services/ what I can do
Dr Gráinne McMahon: Independent research, evaluation, campaigning consultant
sociologist, researcher, campaigner, activist
research, evaluation, campaigning consultancy
I offer a range of research and evaluation, campaigning management and research, and policy-focused consultancy services.
I am committed to social justice, advocacy, activism, and shared academic inquiry and participatory methods of research and evaluation; this ethos runs through all of my research and evaluation, and campaigning and activism, work. I utilise and apply the following approaches:
o participatory action research, co-creation and co-production methodologies
o academic research and evaluation
o programme and initiative research, development and evaluation
o policy-focused research and evaluation
o theory of change in programme/ campaign evaluation
o ‘theory of change’/ activist learning, social justice and social movements work
o rapid/ systemic reviews of literature
I have developed and applied a robust, bespoke and critical research and evaluation framework to capture learning, development and change in third-sector and community/ charity work. The theory examines process and impact outcomes (‘theory of change’) to explore learning about process and impact outcomes at individual, group, community and political levels to understand personal and group experiences and gains, and to inform campaigning/ programme/ initiative development, group and community work and action, and political and social (policy) change.
In addition to offering my expertise in applying conventional theories of change to research, evaluation and learning, I apply this model to participatory and co-created research projects and project/ initiative evaluations.
Academic research and evaluation
I have considerable expertise and experience in conducting research and evaluation in academic contexts in the the fields of social justice, activism/ campaigning, rights, political participation, social movements, ‘theory of change’, and youth offending.
Focusing on social justice, my areas of expertise include:
o support, advocacy, and empowerment work with marginalised groups
o human rights activism, migration and campaigning
o young people’s social, political and civic participation
o feminism and feminist activism
o activism and social movements in the public sphere
o democracy and re-making democracy
o youth offending and desistance
I am very well-regarded in my areas of work and have several publications and activities from my work.
Policy-focused research and evaluation
I have a substantial international and national/ regional experience in policy-focused research and evaluation in academic and third-sector/ community contexts.
Most notably, my policy-focused work concerns:
o young people’s social and political participation
o migrant and refugee rights and activism
o feminist and women’s rights and activism
o activism and social movements in the public sphere
o democracy and re-making democracy
o youth offending and desistance
o programme implementation and evaluation
o support, advocacy, and empowerment work with marginalised groups
I have utilised (and adapted as necessary) theories of change to evaluate programme and policy efficacy and effectiveness. Where possible, I carry out immersive ethnographies in research spaces, and utilise participatory action research, co-creation and co-production methodologies for learning.
Participatory, grassroots organising/ campaigning
I have led or been part of several advocacy/ activist campaigns in the community and charity sector.
I am highly skilled at organising and developing campaigns from ‘grassroots’, initial ideas through to national networks of activists and organisers, using participatory action research, co-creation and co-production methodologies.
I specialise in research-focused campaigning (where a participatory research project becomes the basis of or strongly informs a new campaign) and campaigning-focused research (where research ‘wraps around’ a campaign).
Utilising participatory action research, co-creation and co-production methodologies, I have developed and applied a critical research and evaluation framework that captures process and impact outcomes from the personal to political level from rights campaigns.
Third-sector/ community research and evaluation
I have a strong background in research, evaluation and campaigning in the third and community/ charity sector.
I am highly skilled in research and evaluation in third-sector programme/ initiative evaluation especially in terms of support, advocacy, and empowerment services and work with marginalised groups:
o programme and initiative research, development and evaluation
o theory of change programme
o policy-focused intervention learning and analysis
I have utilised (and adapted as necessary) theories of change to evaluate programme efficacy and effectiveness. Where possible, I carry out immersive ethnographies in community/ programme spaces, and utilise participatory action research, co-creation and co-production methodologies for learning.
Rapid literature reviews and medical/ health writing
I have been commissioned to contribute to bid-writing for health-related work, to carry out rapid/ systematic reviews of literature, and to undertake medical writing (e.g. consensus documents) for the NHS and professional bodies.
All my work adheres to the code of conduct and ethical guidelines set out by the British Sociological Association.