The principles of this approach are described, as are its implications for knowledge construction. In this chapter, realist principles frame evaluation as a support for democratic processes in the pursuit of social betterment. Social betterment is defined as the extent to which public policies and programs meet the ever-emerging complex of human needs. Distinct implications for the practice of evaluation, analyzing distributional aspects of a program, and informing democratic processes are brought out. A Realist Perspective Melvin M. Mark and Gary T. Henry Social programming is an evolved mechanism at least in part for addressing social needs.
Evaluation focuses on social programs.
We review selected aspects of the complex, dynamic, political and contextual factors that influence social programming, and draw from these conclusions about the conduct of realist evaluation. A theory of evaluation use must be contextualized with the venue in which use is expected. Use in policy-making and social programing is analyzed with particular emphasis on shaping realist practice to increase the potential for use.