Realist Evaluation

Ana Manzano is an Associate Professor in Public Policy at University of Leeds, UK.Emma Williams was an Associate Professor in the Realist Research, Evaluation and Learning Initiative at Charles Darwin University, Australia until mid-2024 and now is an independent research and evaluation consultant.

• Introduction: The Context of Realist Data Collection 1. Testing realist hypotheses: The Value of Diverse Evidence, including Unobtrusive Measures 2. A Realist Understanding of Bias in Qualitative Data Collection 3. Nothing as Practical as an Analytical Strategy in Realist Evaluation: Findings and Recommendations from a Comprehensive Review 4. Combining Realist Reviews with Realist Evaluations 5. Managing Abundance Rigorously: Quality in Realist Evaluation with Extensive Qualitative Data 6. Realist Interviewing for Novice Realist Evaluators 7. Realist Interviews in Global Health Research: Case Studies and Comparative Analysis with Similar Interview Approaches 8. Realist Data Collection in Less Familiar Settings: Exploring Challenges and Strategies 9. Qualitative Realist Interviews using Online Video Technology: Challenges and Opportunities 10. Lessons from Realist Evaluations in Canada: Advancing Programme Theory through Patient-Oriented Research Approaches 11. The Realist Topic Guide 12. Developing a Recipe for Realist Interviewing using Critical Realist Ingredients 13. Theorising through the Lens: Introducing a Realist Photovoice Technique

"Many years ago, Charles Wright Mills implored us to remember that doing social research was not a matter of blindly following set designs and routinised procedures. It requires a generous application of the sociological imagination. In Manzano and Williams’s collection we discover the same creative motif. In example after example, we gain insight on the resourcefulness of the realist imagination." -- Ray Pawson