Core elements of Process tracing

Process tracing is a research method which is increasingly used in the social sciences and in policy evaluation. Process tracing is about unpacking a causal process in a case and tracing how it worked empirically, which enables strong within case inferences about causal processes.
The course situates process tracing in the methodological field, relating it to other small-N analysis as well as large-N analysis. It provides an understanding of the ontological and epistemological underpinnings of the method.

The course explores the core elements of process tracing, by focusing on both the theory side of what we are tracing (the causal processes or mechanisms) and the empirics (evidence of the operation of the causal mechanism). The course aims to provide the students with the necessary tools, enabling them to apply process-tracing in their own research.