oa Process tracing

Process tracing: a structured approach to data analysis in decision making studies

Process tracing (PT) has been developed for within-case analysis to unravel causal mechanisms that explain the relationship between independent and dependent variables. It follows an iterative-inductive approach to generate theory on the basis of empirical data. This paper explains how PT can be used in decision making research by using a three step model: (1) one code for each case, (2) preparation of an analytic table, and (3) from fragmentation to integration. The cases that illustrate these steps show that PT results in fine-grained theoretical explanations for decision making and indicates the need of additional between-case analysis.