203 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 3327 7255 Email: c.valters@odi.org.uk
Nationality: British
Areas of expertise: Justice, security and peacebuilding provision in conflict-affected states; gender and empowerment; human rights (domestic and international law, sociology, philosophy); organisational change and learning in aid organisations
Country experience includes: Bangladesh, India, Liberia, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.
2011
2008
MSc Human Rights (Distinction)
London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
BA Philosophy (First)
Cardiff University, UK
July 2014 to date
Dec 2013 to
July 2014
Overseas Development Institute, London UK
Research Officer, Politics and Governance
- Lead and contribute to a wide range of ongoing research, including on justice and security reform in post-conflict states, community policing, legal empowerment and women’s voice and leadership, Theories of Change and learning in aid organisations.
Overseas Development Institute, London UK
Research Officer, Development Progress
Authored and contributed to blogs, working papers, synthesis papers and infographics on political voice, security and women's empowerment
- Led, planned and implemented primary research on security in Liberia and
Timor-Leste
- Analysed and synthesized case studies across a number of countries and sectors

Oct 2013 to
Dec 2013
Aug 2012 to
Dec 2013
May 2011 to
Dec 2013
Effective Development Group, London UK
Consultant, Gender and Police Reform in DRC
- Contributed to the monitoring and evaluation component of a security sector and police reform programme in DRC.
- Planned and conducted systematic literature search on the role and experiences of female police officers in conflict-affected contexts
- Contributed to project report which helped guide police reform programme
The Asia Foundation, London/Sri Lanka
Research Fellow
Completed 3 separate primary research fellowships of 3 months each:
- Theory of Change approaches : Designed and conducted primary research leading to a sole authored a paper synthesising research findings of The Asia
Foundation's use of Theories of Change across several countries
- Women’s experiences of local justice in Sri Lanka : Designed, managed and implemented 3 months of field research on women’s experiences of mediation in post-war Sri Lanka.
- Community mediation and social harmony in Sri Lanka: Designed, managed and implemented 3 months of field research, testing The Asia
Foundation’s Theories of Change in post-war Sri Lanka.
London School of Economics and Political Science, London.
Research Officer, Justice and Security Research Programme
Contributed full-time to 3 major research projects:
The Asia Foundation: International Development Theories in Practice
- Conducted literature review on guidance documents for Theories of Change
- Co-authored paper on the use of Theories of Change in international development
- Presented at public conference on ‘Evidence and Power in Development
Policy’
World Bank: Community Driven Development in South Sudan
- Developed literature search and review on communities & socio-political structures
- Co-authored report analysing the local community structures and DDR processes
- Worked with team of international scholars to produce policy relevant report
DFID: Justice and Security Research Programme Inception Phase
- Developed and implemented methodology for evidence grading literature

Jan 2012 to
May 2012
July 2008 to
Sep 2008
- Wrote 200+ evidence reviews of academic and grey literature on conflict, security and climate change
London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
Research Assistant, Government Department
- Coordinated team of international scholars regarding book on post-war reconstruction
- Edited book chapters concerning civil wars in Europe
- Compiled dataset on consequences of civil war using Polity and Uppsala Civil
War data
Development and Human Rights Institute, Madyha Pradesh, India.
- Led research, scripting, filming and editing of documentary on India’s education system
- Developed policy relevant knowledge of the education sector in India
ODI publications

Valters, C. (2015) Theories of Change: Time for a radical approach to learning in development.

Domingo, P., Holmes, R., O'Neil, T., Jones, N., Bird, K., Larson, A., Presler-
Marshall, E., Valters, C. Women’s voice and leadership: assessing the evidence
 O’Neil. T., Valters, C., and Farid. C. Doing legal empowerment differently: learning from pro-poor litigation in Bangladesh.

Valters, C., Van Veen, E., and Denney, L. (2015) Achieving security progress in post-conflict contexts: Between liberal peacebuilding and elite interests .

Barnes Robinson K. and Valters C., with Strauss, T. and Weah, A. (2015) Progress in small steps: security against the odds in Liberia .

Valters C., Dewhurst, S., and De Catheu, J. (2015) After the buffaloes clash: moving from political violence to personal security in Timor-Leste .
 O’Neil, T., Domingo, P., and Valters C. (2014) Progress in women’s empowerment: from technical fixes to political action . Development Progress Working Paper 6.

Valters, C., Rabinowitz, G., Denney, L. (2014) Security in post-conflict contexts: what counts as progress and what drives it?
Other publications

Valters, C. (2014). Analysing the Theories of Change approach in International
Development: Communication, Learning or Accountability?
Justice and Security
Research Programme and The Asia Foundation. London: London School of
Economics and Political Science

Jayasundere, R. and Valters, C. (2014) Women’s Experiences of Local Justice:
Community Mediation in Sri Lanka . Justice and Security Research Programme and the Asia Foundation. London: London School of Economics and Political Science.

Valters, C. (2013). Community Mediation and Social Harmony in Sri Lanka . Justice and Security Research Programme and the Asia Foundation. London: London
School of Economics and Political Science.

Pendle, N., Pfister, M., Santschi, M., Schomerus, M., Stein, D., Thomas, E., and
Valters, C. (2013, unpublished) Local Socio-Political Organisation and Implications

for Community-Driven Development in South Sudan. Prepared for World Bank.
London: London School of Economics and Political Science

Stein, C., and Valters, C. (2012) Understanding Theory of Change in International
Development . Justice and Security Research Programme and The Asia
Foundation. London: London School of Economics and Political Science.
Media

Valters, C. 4 principles for Theories of Change in global development . ODI Blog,
September 15, 2015.

Valters, C. (2015) 3 big problems with how we think about results and development . Devex Blog, June 26, 2015.

Dewhurst, S., and Valters, C. Timor-Leste: security after Xanana . Development
Progress Blog, February 11, 2015.

Valters, C. Can Theories of Change help us do development differently?
In Asia
Blog, December 10, 2014.

Valters, C. (2014). Six Key Findings on the Use of Theories of Change in
International Development . JSRP Blog, August 18, 2014.

Valters, C. (2014) Security in post-conflict contexts: what counts as progress and what drives it?
ODI Blog, April 22, 2014.

Valters, C. (2014) What does growing protest worldwide tell us about political voice and social change?
ODI blog, April 2, 2014.

Jayasundere, R and Valters C. (2014). Women’s Experiences of Local Justice:
Community Mediation in Sri Lanka.
JSRP Blog, February 14 2014.

Valters, C. (2013) Can Theories of Change Reflect the Realities of International
Development?
JSRP Blog, August 27, 2013.

Stein, D., and Valters, C. (2013) Reflections on Theories of Change in International
Development . JSRP Blog, May 28, 2013.