Process-Tracing Methods: Foundations and Guidelines

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.