Summary
Contents
Subject index
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.
Making up Mechanisms in Realist Research
Making up Mechanisms in Realist Research
What This Chapter is About
Realist research aims to close the gap between the real and our knowledge of it; mechanistic thinking is an indispensable approach to this. However, this chapter suggests that there is always going to be a conceptual gap between mechanisms formulated by the scientist and the ‘real’ mechanisms out there. It argues that this is inevitable and suggests that the researcher’s ‘mechanisms’ are heuristics. A description of what mechanisms are, the epistemology and ontology of mechanisms, and measurement and evidence lead to a three-point conclusion. Firstly, mechanisms and mechanistic thinking are much more attractive propositions than the empiricist alternative. Secondly, the mechanisms we make up are models or ...
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