Realist evaluation of community health development projects in Wales
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A realist evaluation of geographically distinct community (health) development projects: what works, for whom, how, why, and in what circumstances in Wales?
IRAS ID
245304
Contact name
ANDREW ROGERS
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
School of Healthcare Sciences, Bangor University,
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Throughout Wales, in line with a global trend, public policy continues to refocus attention upon the idea of community as a solution to most of the pressing challenges facing people and the planet. Whether for health, environmental or other reasons, community projects are increasingly expected to provide the answers to the most challenging societal problems.
Within Wales, the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act (2015) amplifies this expectation further through requiring all public bodies to not only work better together to make an impact upon sustainable development but also by driving them, through collaboration and joint action, to build wellbeing within communities (Welsh Government, 2015).
This type of thinking is not new or even unique to Wales and it is also not without significant contradictions. The whole area of community engagement and development is now a contested concept. Despite its constant presence in policy at some level of attention, the relationship between state and community development has never been entirely comfortable nor consistent. It is also is not one idea or approach but is in fact a very complex field of widely differing ideologies and approaches.
Within this Realist Research project therefore, the question moves beyond whether community approaches work in improving health outcomes to identifying what works, in what circumstances and for whom within a distinct North Wales context.
This will be the first study of its kind, focused on providing an explanatory account of what works and what are the underlying generative mechanisms that explain 'how' outcomes are caused and also will seek to account for the influence of context within such projects. Two or more case studies of different community health development projects will be used to develop and test a programme theory.
REC name
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REC reference
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