Aligning Interviewing with Process Tracing

Sociological Methods & Research, vol. 55, pp. 219–267

Abstract

Interviews play a pivotal role in process tracing (PT) by allowing researchers to delve deep into the intricacies of agency, inter-agent interactions and relationships, and the processes underlying meaning and decision-making. These dimensions are essential for evaluating process theories connecting causes to outcomes in specific cases. Testing theoretical arguments via PT bears implications for how we conceive interviewing. We provide recommendations for scholars to design interview research aligned with PT best practices, focusing on sampling and the design of interview protocols, and being sensitive to differences between PT approaches. Aligning interviews with PT’s specific requirements strengthens the weight and inferential power of evidence. While the methodological foundations of PT and related data analysis techniques are well-documented in the literature, there is still a gap concerning data collection and generation. We aim to address this by encouraging process tracers to think systematically about their interviewing plans at the design stage.

Authors 2

1. Ezequiel González‐Ocantos

   University of Oxford

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Oxford

   Department of Politics and International Relations, Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

2. Juan Masullo J. corresponding Aachen Institute of Political Science

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University

   Institute of Political Science, Leiden University, Den Haag, The Netherlands