Process-Tracing Methods

Process-Tracing Methods
Author: Derek Beach
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2019-01-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0472037358

Process-tracing in social science is a method for studying causal mechanisms linking causes with outcomes. This enables the researcher to make strong inferences about how a cause (or set of causes) contributes to producing an outcome. In this extensively revised and updated edition, Derek Beach and Rasmus Brun Pedersen introduce a refined definition of process-tracing, differentiating it into four distinct variants and explaining the applications and limitations of each. The authors develop the underlying logic of process-tracing, including how one should understand causal mechanisms and how Bayesian logic enables strong within-case inferences. They provide instructions for identifying the variant of process-tracing most appropriate for the research question at hand and a set of guidelines for each stage of the research process.

A Handbook of Process Tracing Methods for Decision Research

A Handbook of Process Tracing Methods for Decision Research
Author: Michael Schulte-Mecklenbeck
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2011-05-20
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135389780

This handbook provides a critical review and user’s guide to conducting and reporting process tracing studies of decision making. Each chapter covers a specific method that is presented and reviewed by authors who are experts in the method’s application to decision research. The book ultimately illustrates and presents a multi-method approach and is essential reading for graduate students and researchers wishing to undertake such studies on decision making.

Process Tracing

Process Tracing
Author: Andrew Bennett
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2015
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1107044529

This book provides empirically grounded conceptual, design and practical advice on conducting process tracing, a key method of qualitative research.

A Handbook of Process Tracing Methods

A Handbook of Process Tracing Methods
Author: Michael Schulte-Mecklenbeck
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 409
Release: 2019-06-10
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1351662767

A Handbook of Process Tracing Methods demonstrates how to better understand decision outcomes by studying decision processes, through the introduction of a number of exciting techniques. Decades of research have identified numerous idiosyncrasies in human decision behavior, but some of the most recent advances in the scientific study of decision making involve the development of sophisticated methods for understanding decision process—known as process tracing. In this volume, leading experts discuss the application of these methods and focus on the best practices for using some of the more popular techniques, discussing how to incorporate them into formal decision models. This edition has been expanded and thoroughly updated throughout, and now includes new chapters on mouse tracking, protocol analysis, neurocognitive methods, the measurement of valuation, as well as an overview of important software packages. The volume not only surveys cutting-edge research to illustrate the great variety in process tracing techniques, but also serves as a tutorial for how the novice researcher might implement these methods. A Handbook of Process Tracing Methods will be an essential read for all students and researchers of decision making.

Comparative Policy Studies

Comparative Policy Studies
Author: I. Engeli
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2014-05-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 113731415X

In the first volume of its kind, a collection of top policy scholars combine empirical and methodological analysis in the field of comparative policy studies to provide compelling insights into the formulation, implementation and evaluation of policies across regional and national boundaries.

Designing Case Studies

Designing Case Studies
Author: J. Blatter
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 362
Release: 2012-05-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1137016663

The authors explore three ways of conducting causal analysis in case studies. They draw on established practices as well as on recent innovations in case study methodology and integrate these insights into coherent approaches. They highlight the core features of each approach and provide advice on each step of the research process.

Elite and Specialized Interviewing

Elite and Specialized Interviewing
Author: Lewis Anthony Dexter
Publisher: ECPR Press
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2014-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1907301933

Lewis Anthony Dexter (1915-1995) pioneered the use of specialized interviewing as a tool in the social sciences. He argued that interviewing persons who have specialised information about, or who have involvement with, any social or political processes is different from standardised interviewing. In 'elite' interviewing the investigator must be willing to let the interviewee teach him what the problem, the question, or the situation is. He demonstrated that interviewing was a useful tool, but he also argued that it was not always the most appropriate method for revealing the information required. In Elite and Specialized Interviewing decades of his practical experience, of both how to interview and how to use interviews, was distilled into a readable, yet rigorously analytical, book. First published in 1969, it remains as good a guide to the subject as the 21st century researcher can find.

Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences

Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences
Author: Alexander L. George
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2005-04-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0262262894

The use of case studies to build and test theories in political science and the other social sciences has increased in recent years. Many scholars have argued that the social sciences rely too heavily on quantitative research and formal models and have attempted to develop and refine rigorous methods for using case studies. This text presents a comprehensive analysis of research methods using case studies and examines the place of case studies in social science methodology. It argues that case studies, statistical methods, and formal models are complementary rather than competitive. The book explains how to design case study research that will produce results useful to policymakers and emphasizes the importance of developing policy-relevant theories. It offers three major contributions to case study methodology: an emphasis on the importance of within-case analysis, a detailed discussion of process tracing, and development of the concept of typological theories. Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences will be particularly useful to graduate students and scholars in social science methodology and the philosophy of science, as well as to those designing new research projects, and will contribute greatly to the broader debate about scientific methods.

Qualitative Methods in International Relations

Qualitative Methods in International Relations
Author: A. Klotz
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2008-02-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0230584128

We still lack practical answers to one of the most basic questions in empirical research: How should researchers interpret meanings? The contributors take seriously the goals of both post-modernist and positivist researchers, as they offer detailed guidance on how to apply specific tools of analysis and how to circumvent their inherent limitations.

Approaches and Methodologies in the Social Sciences

Approaches and Methodologies in the Social Sciences
Author: Donatella Della Porta
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2008-08-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1139474596

A revolutionary textbook introducing masters and doctoral students to the major research approaches and methodologies in the social sciences. Written by an outstanding set of scholars, and derived from successful course teaching, this volume will empower students to choose their own approach to research, to justify this approach, and to situate it within the discipline. It addresses questions of ontology, epistemology and philosophy of social science, and proceeds to issues of methodology and research design essential for producing a good research proposal. It also introduces researchers to the main issues of debate and contention in the methodology of social sciences, identifying commonalities, historic continuities and genuine differences.