Qualitative investigation of theoretical models: the value of process tracing
Author(s)
Lorentzen, P.; Paine, J.; Fravel, Maris Taylor
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Political scientists frequently use qualitative evidence to support or evaluate the empirical applicability of formal models. Despite this widespread practice, neither the qualitative methods literature nor research on empirically evaluating formal models systematically address the topic. This article makes three contributions to bridge this gap. First, it demonstrates that formal models and qualitative evidence are indeed frequently combined in current research. Second, it shows how process tracing can be as important a tool for empirically assessing models as statistical testing, because models and process tracing share a common focus on understanding causal mechanisms. Last, it provides new guidelines for using process tracing that focus on issues specific to the modeling enterprise, illustrated with examples from recent research.
Date issued
2016-08Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Political ScienceJournal
Journal of Theoretical Politics
Publisher
Sage Publications
Citation
Lorentzen, P., M. T. Fravel, and J. Paine. “Qualitative Investigation of Theoretical Models: The Value of Process Tracing.” Journal of Theoretical Politics (August 29, 2016).
Version: Original manuscript
ISSN
0951-6298
1460-3667