Curriculum Vitae
Nilima Gulrajani
Research Fellow
Overseas Development Institute
203 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ, UK
Tel: +44 (0)73 4147 8346
Fax: +44 (0)20 7922 0399
Email: n.gulrajani@odi.org.uk
Nationality: Canadian and
British
Languages: English, fluent
French, intermediate Spanish
KEY EXPERIENCE


An internationally-recognised expert on effective foreign aid management and public
sector administrative reform in both developed and developing countries
Fifteen years experience conducting reseach at leading academic institutions,
including Cambridge University, London School of Economics and Oxford
University

Proficiency addressing practical development policy challenges, including as a
senior consultant to international organisations, philanthropic foundations, national
governments, and the private sector

Associate editor at journal Public Administraiton and Development, with extensive
involvement as a peer-reviewer

Considerable experience delivering executive education and graduate-level
courses on international public management topics relating to development

Extensive publication record, including in international peer-reviewed journals,
books, in-house working paper series, print and electronic newspapers
CAREER/EXPERIENCE/POSITIONS HELD
2012-ongoing
2012-ongoing
Senior Research Associate, Global Economic Governance Programme,
Oxford University
 Conduct research on foreign aid effectiveness, donor administrative reform
and international public management challenges in development
Trustee, Integrity Action
 Oversee and steer IA’s strategic direction as a small global grassroots
charity working for accountability and integrity in public management
2007-2012
Assistant Professor, London School of Economics
 Taught graduate and executive education courses in international public
management, including designing and implementing the first ever public
management and development course at the LSE

Developed a research strategy and publication record linking public
management to development studies
 Trained, mentored and evaluated MPhil and PhD–level researchers
2006-2007
International Economist, Ministry of Finance, Canada
 Public policy research and analysis for G7/G8/G20 finance ministers’
meetings
 Collaboratively formulated Canadian public expenditure policies and
positions relating to international finance and development
QUALIFICATIONS
2005
PhD, Cambridge University
Organisation and Management Studies
2001
M.Phil, Cambridge University
Development Studies
2000
B.A. McGill University
Joint Honours Economics and Politcal Science
SELECTION OF PUBLICATIONS
Management reform inside foreign aid agencies
Gulrajani, N. (2015) “Dilemmas in Donor Design: Organisational Reform and the Future
of Foreign Aid Agencies.” Public Administration and Development 35(2): 152-164.
Gulrajani, N. (2015) “Britain has a new aid strategy. But has it got its priorities right?
The Guardian. December 3.
Gulrajani, N. (2015) “Bilateral Donors in a ‘Beyond Aid’ Agenda: The Importance of
Institutional Autonomy for Donor Effectiveness” Global Economic Governance
Working Paper 2015/106.
Second aurthor with M. Gavas, T. Hart (2015) “Designing the Development Agency of
the Future.” Overseas Development Institute Working Paper
2
Gulrajani, N. (2014) Written Evidence of the UK’s Select Committe on International
Development Inquiry into Future UK Approaches to Foreign Aid. House of Commons
Select Committee Publications.
Gulrajani, N. (2014) “Organising for donor effectiveness: An analytical framework for
improving aid effectiveness policies.” Development Policy Review. 30:10: p. 89-112
N. Gulrajani, (2013) An Analytical Framework for Improving Aid Effectiveness Policies.
Global Economic Governance Working Paper 2013/87.
Gulrajani, N. (2013). “Global evidence suggests merging CIDA and DFAIT will be a
mistake.” Toronto Star. March 28, 2013
Gulrajani, N. (2012) ”Improving Canada’s performance as a bilateral donor: Assessing
the past and building for the future” in S. Brown, ed. Struggling for Effectiveness:
CIDA and Canadian Foreign Aid. McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Gulrajani, N. (2011) "Transcending the Great Foreign Aid Debate: Radical reform and
the future of aid effectiveness." Third World Quarterly. 32(3): 199-216.
Gulrajani, N. (2010) Re-imagining Canadian development cooperation: A comparative
examination of Norway and the UK. Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation
Working Paper.
Gulrajani, N. (2010) "The ghost in the aid machine: Moving beyond managerialism" The
Broker Magazine
Gulrajani, N. (2010) "Ringfencing aid may do more harm than good." The Guardian.
October 24.
Gulrajani,N. (2010) “Poverty Reduction vs. Pork Barrel Politics” The Mark. Op-Ed.
October 1.
Gulrajani, N. (2010) "The Great Aid Debate: From radicals to reformers to radicalreformers" Critical Investigations into Humanitarianism in Africa Blogspot. August
5.
Gulrajani, N. (2009) “How politicization has been silently killing the Canadian
International Development Agency's effectiveness.” The Globe and Mail. Op-Ed. June
8.
Gulrajani, N. (2007) “Rejuvenating the Canadian International Development Agency:
Searching for Strategic Focus.” Analytical Working Paper Series, Canadian Ministry
of Finance, International Trade and Finance Division.
Gulrajani, N. (2007) “Models of Evaluation in International Development.” Analytical
Working Paper Series, Canadian Ministry of Finance, International Trade and
Finance Division.
Gulrajani, N. (2006) “The Art of Fine Balances: The Challenge of Institutionalizing the
Comprehensive Development Framework Inside the World Bank” in Wright, C. and
3
Stone, C. (eds.) The World Bank and Governance: A Decade of Reform and
Reaction. Routledge.
Gulrajani, N., S. Mulley and N. Woods (2006) “Who needs more cooperation? The
United Nations and Development Assistance” Journal of International Law and
International Relations.
International public management reform
Gulrajani, N. and K. Moloney (2012) “Globalizing Public Administration: Today’s
Research and Tomorrow’s Agenda.” Public Administration Review. 72(1): 78-86.
Second author with K. Moloney (2011) “Globalized World, Globalized Research, Version
20.20.” Public Administration Review. Supplement to Vol. 70: S298-S300.
Gulrajani, N. (2010) “New vistas for development management: Examining radicalreformist possibilities and potential” Public Administration and Development. 30(2):
136-148.
Second author with W. McCourt (2010) “What Future for Development Management?”
in Public Administration and Development. 30(2): 81-90.
Gulrajani, N. (2009) The future of development management: Examining possibilities
and potential. DESTIN Working Paper. No. 99.
Accountability and good governance
Gulrajani, N. (2012) “Executive Politics, Governance and International Development”
in Lodge, M. and K. Wegrich, eds. Executive Politics and Governance. PalgraveMacmillan.
Gulrajani, N. (2010) Challenging Global Accountability: The Intersection of Contracts
and Culture in the World Bank” “Global Economic Governance Working Paper No.
2010/56.
Gulrajani, N. (2007) “Aiding Good Governance? An Examination of Canadian Bilateral
Assistance to Vietnam” in Woods, N. and Welsh, J. (eds.) Exporting Good
Governance: Temptations and Challenges in Canada’s Aid Program. Wilfred
Laurier University Press.
4
Private sector in foreign aid
Second author with A. Brain and J. Mitchell (2014) “Meeting the Challenge: How can
enterprise challenge funds be made to work better.” Economic and Private Sector
Professional Evidence and Applied Knowledge Services Resource.
UK
Department of International Development.
Gulrajani, N. (2013) “The challenge fund aid modality: Assessing the potential for
tackling gender challenges in development.” United Nations University-WIDER
Working Paper. 2013/43
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS AND LECTURES
Policy conferences
2015- “Using public management to resolve dilemmas within donor agencies.
Designing Development Agencies of the Future Conference.
Overseas
Development Institute. London
2014- “Organising Donors for Aid Effectiveness” Advocates for International
Development. Allen Overy. London
2013- “The challenge fund aid modality: Assessing the potential for tackling gender
challenges in development.” Aid for Gender Equality Conference. United Nations
University-WIDER. Copenhagen, Denmark.
2011“Aid Effectiveness: Implications for Parliaments and Parliamentarians.”
International Parliamentary Conference on the MDGs: Reaching for 2015:
Governance, Accountability and the Role of the Parliamentarian, Portcullis House,
London.
2007- “ Is Aid Still a Priority for the G8?” Oxfam Young Professionals Association.
Oxfam International, London, UK.
Invited academic lectures and seminars
2014- “Donor governance and the design of effective aid agencies.“ Symposium on
Public Administration for Development: Trends and the Way Forward. Fudan
University. Shanghai, China.
2010- “Re-imagining Canadian bilateral aid: A comparative examination of Norway and
the UK.” Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto. Toronto.
2010- “The Politics of Development Management: A Radical Solution to Reforming
Foreign Aid” Cornell Institute for African Development Symposium Problems, Promises,
and Paradoxes of Aid: Africa’s experience. Cornell University. Ithaca, NY
5
2009- “From management to organization: re-examining development practice”. IDS
Sussex.
2009- “The future of development management: Examining possibilities and potential”
Institute for Development Policy and Management Seminar, University of Manchester.
2008- “Making global accountability street-smart: Re-conceptualizing dilemmas and
examining dynamics” Development Studies Seminar, Cambridge University.
2008- “Examining the Past and Organizing the Future of International Public Sector
Research in Public Administration. Syracuse Maxwell School Minnowbrook III
Conference. Lake Placid, NY.
6