Realist Evaluation

    Pessimist: "Glass is half empty"
    Optimist: "Glass is half full" 
    Realist: "Glass is half water, half air"

We all know the famous “glass half-full or half-empty” metaphor, a classic illustration of optimist vs. pessimist perspectives. But this analogy often overlooks a crucial perspective: the realist. Realists assess the situation as it is, considering both the potential and the limitations. This resonates deeply with my approach to health system strengthening, where I combine realist evaluation, systems thinking, and pragmatism.

In today’s world, understanding why things work or don’t work can be a real challenge, especially in health interventions where numerous factors can influence the success or failure of a program. Realist evaluation is a research method that helps us unravel this complexity and gain a deeper understanding of how and why interventions work (or don’t work) in different contexts.

Realist evaluation is a type of qualitative research that seeks to explain the underlying mechanisms that produce outcomes. The central idea behind realist evaluation is the C-M-O configuration, which stands for Context-Mechanism-Outcome. This framework suggests that interventions work (or don’t work) because of the interplay between the context in which they are implemented, the mechanisms they trigger, and the outcomes they produce.