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Summary of Ray Pawson's Book The Science of Evaluation: A Realist Manifesto See also lse review 2013
The Science of Evaluation
2 months ago
Insight diagram
The model is designed to provide a general understanding of the wear and tear on roads or a community's circulation system as a result of vehicle traffic generated by development within and outside of a community. It is not based on realistic assumptions regarding those impacts, it simply attempts to convey the flow of influence.

The imaginary city has a set area of roads measured in linear yards (width of roads is ignored) and an assumed number of vehicles on those roads set at 30,000 (per day). With those assumptions the wear and tear requiring repair is .02 or 2% Vehicle wear based on the 30,000 per year. There is also a calculated replacement cost of an additional 3% plus through vehicle wear or 5% per year.  An increase in vehicles increases this vehicle wear impact exponentially. The model assumes that there will not be less than 30,000 vehicles.

Expenditures for repair or replacement are set to balance out on an as needed based on 30,000 vehicles. An minimum additional 50 cars from external sources is then assumed. Adding New Homes and/or New Businesses places an even greater burden on the circulation system. 

The model does not consider additional funding. This will be added as a political factor but would need to consider the possibility of decreasing funding for other purposes.

Future additions to the model will include an inflation factor. Unfunded road work will get increasingly more expensive over time. Also a diminished revenue factor. A lack of capacity of the community's roads could likely result in a diminishment of the community's business sector thus reducing sales and property taxes and municipal revenue to expend on the roads. 
Calculating Road Wear and Tear on Community Roads
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Overview of Evaluation Approaches from Pawson and Tilley's Book comparing Realist, Constructivist, Experimental and Pragmatic Evaluation Approaches. Combined with Van de Ven's Alternative Philosophies of Science in his Engaged Scholarship book. See also Burrell and Morgan's research paradigms video
Realistic and Other Evaluation Methods
2 months ago
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This model illustrates predator prey interactions using real-life data of wolf and moose populations on the Isle Royale.

We incorporate logistic growth into the moose dynamics, and we replace the death flow of the moose with a kill rate modeled from the kill rate data found on the Isle Royale website.

I start with these parameters:
Wolf Death Rate = 0.15
Wolf Birth Rate = 0.0187963
Moose Birth Rate = 0.4
Carrying Capacity = 2000
Initial Moose: 563
Initial Wolves: 20

I used RK-4 with step-size 0.1, from 1959 for 60 years.

The moose birth flow is logistic, MBR*M*(1-M/K)
Moose death flow is Kill Rate (in Moose/Year)
Wolf birth flow is WBR*Kill Rate (in Wolves/Year)
Wolf death flow is WDR*W

Final Midterm Student version of A More Realistic Model of Isle Royale: Predator Prey Interactions
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WIP to explain iterative modelling of linkages over space and time see also causal pathways IM
Linkages among objects
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There has been an ongoing effort to find a means of making systems thinking accessible and readily adopted by others not familiar with systems thinking. One line of thinking places a good deal of the blame on systems thinkers themselves, the problem is that they have not found a good enough method of explaining it and its benefits yet. 

Another possibility though is the extent to which those who are to be helped feel besieged by the situation in which they find themselves making them extremely wary about trying something new. 

This model is not realistic, at least it is hoped that there isn't anyplace where things are this bad. Different communities will be better or worse off in different categories and some will be succeeding in all areas. Those are the communities we need to learn from.

More explanation can be found under the information icons associated with each of the elements.
Complexity, Corruption and False Complacency assailing our Communities
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WIP Book Summary
The Educated Mind
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Inference Robustness Assessment entails demonstrating that the ways a model differs from the real world do not affect model based inferences. From Jim Koopman's work on Infection Transmission Science esp Biological Networks Book Ch 13 p 453-4 and this accessible paper pdf
Inference Robustness Assessment
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More realistic moose model
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Attempts to model in the social dynamics of returning players
Streamer Social Media Virality 7 w Player loop
3 7 months ago
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Adapted from Pawson and Tilley (1997) and Ratze et al. (2007) by Rosie Sadsad for a forthcoming book chapter. Contextual factors, mechanisms and outcomes are conceptualised as holons. Their state may change over time (t) and across levels of organisation (l). Holons are components and form part of a compound holon. Holons are connected by weak or strong links.
​See also Realist Evaluation IM-1713 and Holon wikipedia and Multiscale modelling process IM-10070
Multilevel holons context mechanisms and outcomes
11 months ago
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Working model of Yellowstone dynamics created by students in Ecology 2015 at McDaniel College.​ This class collaboration is the first attempt by these students to develop a functioning model that includes competition, disease, predation, invasives and impacts of environmental variables on the major species over the last 30 years.
Although we are attempting to create a realistic model, we are not researchers and depend on varied data sources for coefficients.

Eco15 Yellowstone Model
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Attempts to model in the social dynamics of  Pavilion host aquisition
Pavilion Model
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Based on a book chapter by Rosemarie Sadsad based on her PhD Thesis. See also other Insights tagged Multiscale and Realist ( IM-3546 and IM-3834 are embedded here)
Multiscale modeling process
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This model illustrates predator prey interactions using real-life data of wolf and moose populations on the Isle Royale.

Experiment with adjusting the initial number of moose and wolves on the island.
A More Realistic Model of Isle Royale: Predator Prey Interactions
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From Roy Bhaskar et al Book Interdisciplinarity and climate change: transforming knowledge and practice for our global future 
Critical Realism
2 months ago
Insight diagram
This model illustrates predator prey interactions using real-life data of wolf and moose populations on the Isle Royale.

Experiment with adjusting the initial number of moose and wolves on the island.
Parker Realistic Isle Royale: Predator Prey Interactions
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Addition of multilevel system dynamics to the context mechanism outcome realist evaluation framework of Pawson and Tilley. See also multilevel holons IM-3546



Realist Evaluation Dynamics
3 11 months ago
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A launchpad to tie together some ideas about Reality. See wikipedia
Reality
2 months ago
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Streamer Social Media Virality 6
9 7 months ago
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Marketing cost model
Streamer Social Media Virality 7
10 months ago
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Simulate an impact of an asteroid of any Diameter at any given Speed!
Asteroid impact simulator
3 11 months ago
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WIP Understanding pathways to observed effects complex causation Pathways Moving to Opportunity NYC example from Nate Osgood's big data lecture youtube video Feb 2017 Sydney.
Potential and actual causal mechanisms
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Details:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->-          <!--[endif]-->This model shows the effect of ‘reinvestment program ‘or the expenditure on policing and community development affects the cycles of petty-crime and youth detention, and domestic violence and jail.

More details:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->-          <!--[endif]--> Bourke is a town of 3000 people in the North West of New South Wales, about 750Km from Sydney. See the map: https://goo.gl/maps/VgNqgMNzJ7H2. It’s nowhere and there’s not much to do there if you’re young. So, a lot of kids get into mischief, and a lot of adult’s drink. Sometimes they’re violent.

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->-          <!--[endif]-->http://www.justreinvest.org.au/justice-reinvestment-in-bourke/

Assumption:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Bourke Funding consist of Law enforcement funding and Community Development funding only

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->Bourke budget only has $400,000

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Juvenile detention stay last for 6 months

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->There is only 2 options as a Youth, commit petty crime or engage in Youth development programs

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->1 unit of Police, Juvenile and Educational program HR and Equipment is = 0.25

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->1 unit increase results in an 0.25 effectiveness increase

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Sport clubs, educational programs and social programs are comprised into Youth Development Program as 1 stock.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Juvenile support relies on encouraging youth who are in detention centers to join youth development programs, if not they will reoffend.

Stocks:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->Home

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->Youth Development program

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->Discharged

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->Juvenile detention center

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->Petty Crime

Variable:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Reinvestment Allocation – ranges from 0 – 1 , law enforcement investment allocation is 1 – reinvestment allocation. Slide the slider through 0 to 1 to change the reinvestment allocation by 10% l

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Bourke funding budget is fixed to make it seem more realistic (imagine employing a whole army of teachers or police, it wouldn’t make sense)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Youth Population varies , from 1000 to 10,000 for realism along with its time period (4 years). Slider the the slider to increase or decrease the population by 1,000s

Juvenile support effectiveness rate, Youth development program effectiveness rate, conviction rate, Police HR/ equipment, Juvenile Support HR/ equipment, Youth Development program HR/ equipment

Interrelationship and reinforcing loops

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->The youth population starts as as Neutral (Home) then leans towards alienation and connectedness

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Alienation Reinforcing Loop -  Alienation has Conviction rate as a factor as conviction rate increase Alienation increase. This is because as youths get arrested, meaning they’ll have to stay in Detention centers, their friends are more likely to follow on due to them getting ‘bored’.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Connectedness Reinforcing Loop - The opposite exist with Connectedness, as educational program effectiveness increase so as Connectedness. This follows onto the same assumption that youth will always follow peer pressure. The more friends they have in the program, the more likely they will join aswell.

 

Analysis:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.       <!--[endif]-->Which loop is the youth in?

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Once the allocation slider is used with its minimum or maximum value, the loop at which majority of the youth population is ‘stuck in’ becomes obvious. E.g. Once allocation = 1, the entire youth is stuck between educational program and their home, showing the effectiveness of community development funding. On the other hand, once allocation = 0, the entire youth loops around from doing Petty Crimes, spending their time in Juvenile detention centers, then getting discharged to only commit petty crimes again.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.       <!--[endif]-->Alienation vs. Connectedness

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Set the allocation slider on 0.8, The massive difference between the youth of population feeling connected with their community and youth being alienated can be seen. The increase in Reinvestment, the increase in connectedness. Try the extremes as well, 100% reinvestment funding results in 0 Alienation rate.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.       <!--[endif]--> What is the Youth Engaged in ? Educational Programs or Petty Crime ?

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Leaving the slider on 0.8, it can be seen that the there are more youth engaged into educational programs than petty crime. This shows that reinvestment and petty crime has a negative relationship .

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.       <!--[endif]-->More police = safer ?

<!--[if !supportLists]-->-          <!--[endif]-->Set the slider on 0.1 , it can be seen that Conviction which has police as a factor is positively correlated to Crime. This means that an increase in conviction rate is equivalent to more youth being alienated and committing crime. Therefore, more police less safer.

 Have fun! 

 

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