At Just Economics we believe that research should be rigorous yet accessible, and support our clients to use evidence to implement progressive change

Discover/Recover Theatre Project

The Discover/Recover Theatre Project is a preventative mental health intervention aimed at secondary school students in Ireland. It aims to increase mental health literacy and reduce stigma through education and awareness-raising. It does this by using a testimonial theatre performance which has been developed from the lived experience of people with mental health difficulties. The intervention consists of the performance of a play – AFace in the Crowd - in a community setting, followed by a post-performance workshop that takes place in participating schools. In 2019, Just Economics was commissioned to carry out an independent evaluation of the intervention. Discover/Recover was found to be effective in a range of areas, most notably mental health literacy and help-seeking. The intervention was also found to challenge stigma and increase the importance placed on mental health services as a political priority.

What we do

Research and policy

We provide a range of research services from literature reviews through to statistical analysis and value for money assessments. Our staff are experienced in qualitative, quantitative and policy-focused research. We use primary, secondary and desk-based approaches, as appropriate to the research questions and needs of the client.

Evaluation and impact assessment

We produce independent evaluations for public, private and voluntary sector clients, including multi-year projects in the UK and internationally. We partner with universities, research consultancies and civil society organisations. Our staff have experience of a range of evaluation approaches, handling large amounts of data, simplifying complex arguments and synthesising key messages.

Training and implementation

Just Economics supports clients to identify barriers and enablers to successful programme or policy implementation. Implementation support has included the development of measurement and social impact tools, and training in their use.

SROI and Value for Money (VFM)

Just Economics is a leading provider of economic analysis and evaluation. We are experienced in the use of a variety of economic methodologies. We work most regularly with Social Cost-Benefit Analysis (SCBA) and Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodologies.

Health and well-being, Housing and homelessness

Haringey Rough Sleeper's Programme

In 2017, Britain was in the grip of a housing and homelessness crisis and London boroughs such as Haringey experienced alarming increases in the numbers of people sleeping rough in the preceeding years. In response, Haringey Council, St. Mungo’s and Thames Reach began delivering a two-year programeme to improve outcomes for rough sleepers. The HRSP was only one of several pots of funding aimed at tackling rough sleeping during this period, which (along with policy changes affecting rought sleepers) made attribution of outcomes to the programme challenging. Nonetheless, data show a 40% reduction in rough sleeping to November 2018, which was sustained over the following 12 months. despite significant implementation challenges, positive outcomes were reported from the HRSP workstreams. Recommendations focused on the need for better programme scoping and planning to preempt implementation challenges.

International development and finance

Evaluation of the Nordic Development Fund

The Nordic Development Fund (NDF) is the joint development finance institution of the five Nordic countries. The objective of NDF's operations is to facilitate climate change investments, primarily in low-income countries. NDF finances projects usually in cooperation with bilateral, multilateral and other development institutions. The operations mirror the Nordic countries’ priorities in the areas of climate change and development.

This report assesses the social and environmental impact of NDF in the countries within which it invests, and makes recommendations to improve its development impact in the future.

Focus areas

Our client base ranges from local charities to public sector bodies and global corporates. We apply our expertise to key focus areas that our team are passionate about.