Realistic Evaluation shows how program evaluation needs to be and can be bettered. It presents a profound yet highly readable critique of current evaluation practice and introduces a 'manifesto' and 'handbook' for a fresh approach. The main body of this book is devoted to the articulation of a new evaluation paradigm which promises greater validity and utility from the findings of evaluation studies. The authors, Ray Pawson and Nick Tilley, call this new approach 'Realistic Evaluation' reflecting the paradigm's foundation in scientific realist philosophy, its commitment to the idea that programs deal with real problems, and its primary intention which is to inform realistic developments in policy making that benefit program participants and the public. The authors argue with persuasion and passion that scientific evaluation requires a careful blend of theory and method, quality and quantity, ambition and realism. Using practical examples throughout and grounded in the major fields of program evaluation, the book offers a complete blueprint for evaluation activities, running from design to data collection and analysis to the cumulation of findings across programs and onto the realization of research into policy.