What does it really mean to generalise in realist research? How do we move from rich, contextual description to insights that are genuinely transferable?

In this mind-expanding episode, Alejandro is joined by Assistant Professor Dimitri Renmans — health systems researcher and co-founder of the All-Realist Group — to unpack the challenge of generalisation without falling into the trap of purely statistical thinking. From the difference between statistical and theoretical generalisation to what “abstraction” really means (hint: it’s not just about categories), Dimitri offers practical ways to preserve context while still building knowledge that travels.

Drawing on his work developing “mechanism concepts,” Dimitri shares why they matter for theory-building and how they can help researchers move their CMOCs towards robust middle-range theory.

Whether you’re grappling with generalisation, refining mechanism development, or simply looking to sharpen your realist research practice, this episode will give you fresh tools and perspectives.