John Mayne and Rules of Thumb for Contribution Analysis: A Comparison With Two Related Approaches

Abstract

This article discusses differences and similarities between (methodological) rules of thumb of contribution analysis, realist evaluation, and the policy-scientific approach to (program) evaluations. John Mayne’s work and his operating procedures are presented and structured. One of the conclusions is that the three approaches form a ‘family.’ This ‘family’ can substantially contribute to at least six of the 10 “declarations of the Program Theory Manifesto” presented in 2019.