Doing Realist Research - Paperback

by Nick Emmel (Editor), Joanne Greenhalgh (Editor), Ana Manzano (Editor)

Bringing together leading theorists, researchers and policy makers with expertise in using realist methods, this book is a definitive guide to putting realist methodologies into practice.

Not just an overview of the field, this book looks to extend current debates and apply realist methods to new and practical challenges in social research. Featuring practical, worked examples of how to turn theory into evidence, it empowers readers not just to understand realist methods, but to use them.

It will help readers:

- Negotiate the complexity of relational systems

- Understand the importance and relevance of cumulative theory

- Address concerns over data sources and quality

- Be flexible and creative in realist approaches

- Produce useful evidence for policy.

Sophisticated and globally minded, this book is the perfect addition to the ongoing development and application of realist methods across evaluation, synthesis, and social research.

Author Biography

Nick Emmel teaches research methods and the sociology and social policy of international health and health care at the School of Sociology and Social Policy, the University of Leeds. He has conducted extensive research in the UK and India interpreting and explaining processes of vulnerability, with a focus on inequalities and inequities in health.

Joanne Greenhalgh′s current research has focused on applying realist evaluation and realist synthesis to the evaluation of healthcare policy and practice. She was a member of the RAMESES II project team to develop training material and reporting standards for realist evaluation.