Sep 8, 2025, 12:00 AM
Using a realist lens to examine individualised funding for disabled New Zealanders
Samanthi Bandara will share insights into the methodological approach of her doctoral research, which applies realist evaluation to examine individualised funding in Aotearoa New Zealand. She will discuss how the use of realist qualitative interviews helps uncover hidden factors influencing complex social programmes, demonstrating how this approach enables exploration not only of whether funding works, but also how, why, for whom, and under what circumstances it produces outcomes.
Samanthi Bandara is a PhD candidate at the University of Canterbury. Before moving to New Zealand, she began her research career in health economics in her home country, Sri Lanka, and later shifted her focus to disability studies. Her key research interests include health and disability policy evaluation, with a particular emphasis in realist evaluation.