Realist Lab
Interesting links and resources
Rameses projects
The Rameses projects developed methodological guidance, publication standards and training resources for realist evaluation/research and realist synthesis. It also runs the Rameses mailing list, the longest running and most effective online support system for anything realist.
The Realist Lens
The Podcast series The Realist Lens presents discussions with expert guests, students, and practitioners to explore key realist concepts, practical insights, real-world examples, and thoughtful reflections.
Publications
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2026
Van Belle, S. (2026). Realist evaluatie: Waarom en in welke context werkt een beleid wel of niet? Beleidsonderzoek Online. https://www.boomportaal.nl/tijdschrift/BO/BO_2213-3550_2026_009
Van Belle, S., Contractor, S., & Gautam, S. (2026). Deepening context in realist evaluation: Exploring adolescent agency in sexual and reproductive health in urban India. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 15. https://doi.org/10.34172/ijhpm.8837
2025
Van Belle, S., Srinivas, P. N., Cornu, T., Hebbar, P., Abejirinde, I.-O., & Marchal, B. (2025). Realist interviews in global health research: Case studies and comparative analysis with similar interview approaches. In A. Manzano & E. Williams (Eds.), Realist evaluation: Principles and practice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003457077-8
Van Belle, S., & Marchal, B. (2025). Context and generalizability in health policy and systems research: A plea for an integrative praxis of theorizing. Health Policy and Planning, 40(9), 992–997. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf048
2023
Van Belle, S., Abejirinde, I.-O., Ssennyonjo, A., Srinivas, P. N., Hebbar, P., & Marchal, B. (2023). How to develop a realist programme theory using Margaret Archer’s structure–agency–culture framework: The case of adolescent accountability for sexual and reproductive health in urban resource-constrained settings. Evaluation, 29(3), 259–275. https://doi.org/10.1177/13563890231185167?
Ibiloye, O., Decroo, T., van Olmen, J., et al. (2023). Initial programme theory for community-based ART delivery for key populations in Benue State, Nigeria: A realist evaluation study. BMC Public Health, 23, Article 870. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15774-w
Badejo, O., Nöstlinger, C., Wouters, E., Laga, M., Okonkwo, P., Jwanle, P., et al. (2023). Understanding why and how youth-friendly health services improve viral load suppression among adolescents and young people living with HIV in Nigeria: Realist evaluation with qualitative comparative analysis. BMJ Global Health, 8, Article e012600. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-012600
2022
Van Belle, S., Wong, G., Westhorp, G., Pearson, M., Emmel, N., Manzano, A., & Marchal, B. (2022). Chapitre 6: Les essais randomistes peuvent-ils être authentiquement réalistes? In T. Delahais, A. D. Spatarakis, A. Revillard, & V. Ridde (Eds.), Évaluation: Fondements, controverses, perspectives. Éditions Science et Bien Commun. (Traduction de C. Gazier & V. Ridde van Van Belle, S., Wong, G., Westhorp, G., Pearson, M., Emmel, N., Manzano, A., & Marchal, B. (2016). Can “realist” randomised controlled trials be genuinely realist? Trials, 17, Article 313.)
2018
Marchal, B., Kegels, G., & Van Belle, S. (2018). Theory and realist methods. In N. Emmel, J. Greenhalgh, A. Manzano, M. Monaghan, & S. Dalkin (Eds.), Doing realist research (pp. 79–91). SAGE.
2010
Van Belle, S. B., Marchal, B., Dubourg, D., & Kegels, G. (2010). How to develop a theory-driven evaluation design? Lessons learned from an adolescent sexual and reproductive health programme in West Africa. BMC Public Health, 10, Article 741. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-10-741