Understanding Process-tracing

Essay Question What are the major elements and usages of Process-Tracing? What are the advantages and limits of it? Please expain with at least two existing exemplary researches that utilized Process-Tracing.

Process-Tracing in Political Science A method of within-case analysis to evaluate causal processes (Alexander George and Timothy McKeown) Attempts to draw descriptive and causal inferences from diagnostic pieces of evidence part of a temporal sequence of events or phenomena Each decision in a sequence, each set of measurable perceptions The level of the individual actors, written records

Major Elements and Usages Oberservations within each sequence of events (each political unit, individual attitudes, or behaviors) Increasing relevant observations : evaluate the theory Focusing on the unfolding of events or situations over time Requires finding diagnostic evidence that provides the basis for descriptive and causal inference.

Advantages Help to overcome the dilemma of the small-n Provide a test of hypotheses and observations Can add leverage in quantitative analysis Enable the researcher to develop a descriptive generalization Increase confidence in the findings of social science

Limits Extensions of the more fundamental logic of analysis Confrontation of the full set of issues in causal inference Focusing on particular set of motivations and perceptions (accurate reasons to show the independece of the outcome) Should provide more opportunities to refute a theory

Exemplary Research (1-1) Nina Tannenwald’s work “Stigmatizing the Bomb: Origins of the Nuclear Taboo,” International Security (2005) The existence of nuclear taboo is a cause of the nonuse of nuclear weapons by the U.S. since 1945 Nuclear taboo strongly influenced later U.S. nuclear policy

Exemplary Research (1-2) Crucial task in her study: the sequence of event Horrified reaction did in fact occur How widespread it was The elements of this reaction did indeed add up to a nuclear taboo Focusing on decision-makers actions and intentions (Data: official documents, memoirs, and biographies) DV: the nuclear taboo

Exemplary Research (2-1) Daniel Lerner’s work “The Passing of Traditional Society” Illustrate a dominant paradigm in the field of development and focusing on a particular approach to the modernization of the Middle Eastern region specifically. the intensive description of a Turkish village Focusing on specific observations of social attributes/interactions

Exemplary Research (2-2) ‘Rapid modernization’ is driven by the election of a new national governing party and infrastructure DV: Modernization of the village IV: Electoral shift and the building new infrastructure Focusing on the field research (data: intensive interviewing by field assistants) Rich and detailed description of variables

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