Realist evaluation is an iterative process involving theory development, hypotheses, observations and program specification.  Our Carbon Champion project continues the work started in 2010, and aims to finish by achieving carbon net zero in 2030.

Image shows Context, Mechanism, Outcome (CMO) combinations from our work as part of Suffolk’s ground-breaking Low Carbon Champion programme.  Evaluation report and working papers are published separately.  

We use Ragin’s Comparative Method across cases to find combinations of necessary and sufficient conditions to explain successful and unsuccessful outcomes.  All data are based on multiple, purposeful  case studies to explore counterfactuals.

In every community with a problem, somebody has overcome that problem despite facing the same limitations as their peers. Positive deviance seeks to identify these outliers and use their wisdom to help others in the community act their way into a new way of thinking.