Demonstration on Empowering the Emerging Realist Evaluation Together: How to Build Partnerships Utilizing Big Data From Human Service agencies in Manchester (UK) and New York State

Abstract Information: This is a demonstration of empowering the emerging realist evaluation together to continuously investigate what works and for whom utilizing Big Data. Research methods drawn from both epidemiology and effectiveness research traditions are demonstrated in in partnership with human service agencies to investigate what programs of intervention work and for whom. Real live big data from management information systems (schools, social services, mental health, youth justice) from Manchester (England) and New York State is used to investigate the effectiveness of the human service interventions. Usually, evaluators take the data away and come back with a report---here, the data analysis is carried out in partnership with the agencies, empowering both the evaluators and the human service agencies to make the best use of the data utilizing new emerging research methods and helping human service practice to develop continuously with repeated data analyses. As the emphasis is on data naturally drawn from practice, quasi-experimental designs will be demonstrated using demographic variables to match intervention and non-intervention groups. Binary logistic regression will be demonstrated as part of epidemiologic evidence based on association, environmental equivalence, and population equivalence. AEA’s guiding principles help Evaluators and agencies to make the best use of the available data to continuously inform practice. This demonstration is empowering the emerging realist evaluation approach as this paradigm is usually not used in making the best use of big data. As the data mining includes all service users (e.g. all school children in school districts), it is possible to investigate the mechanism, context and outcome configurations in real-time. The evaluation including entire populations directly helps the agencies to better target their interventions, to promote equity and social justice, and to develop new strategies in the circumstances where the interventions are less successful. This paper demonstrates how partnerships can be built between evaluators and service providers to develop program designs, evaluation designs and information designs to enhance the utility of evaluation in practice in a longitudinal study that includes regular analysis of data undertaken with the service providers.