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I'm looking for some contributions around the purpose of realist research. I have been using the approach in what I have regarded as a fairly diligent way and using the RAMESES Guidelines as my quality check.
Context: an intervention that has been up and running for 8 years where they have very basic metrics about what they do and what results they get and no real idea about how this actually happens or what else might be getting generated that could be relevant to their purpose (enabling and constraining).
I used realist evaluation to help explore and understand how the intervention might be producing its effects (and yes, I had also to refine what effects it was producing) and the 'tests' being to 'iteratively test and refine' this thinking about what might be going on inside this programme. I tested through (i) stakeholder and participant workshops (ii) the identification of possible explanatory mid range theories (iii) a realist review and, (iv) case studies of the intervention in practice. Everything was about accumulating and refining the initial theories with the purpose of trying to explaining how the programme might be working and not working (in different ways for different groups etc).
I did not establish an a priori set of CMOs that was what the programme owners said they thought they were delivering and then test them to establish the extent to which they were being delivered for whom in what context and why.
I have had some feedback from a reviewer that the latter is the raison'd'etre for realist work and therefore my approach is not a realist evaluation.
I'd appreciate some thoughts/feedback as I have never interpreted realist evaluation is such a rigid way and I am now concerned that I have missed the point!
Thank You
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