APSA Short Course No 1

Multi-Method Research Strategies:

Critiques and Innovation

David Collier, UC Berkeley

Thad Dunnng, Yale

Jason Seawright, Northwestern

Sherry Zaks, UC Davis

Please register and/or leave your $5 check with the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the back of the room.

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The Context

Hegemony of quantative methods in political

science?

The qualitative methods movement

Not painting ourselves into a corner

The multi-method movement

Two books with iconic status2

Battle of the Cakes

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2nd Edition: New Introduction and Extensive New Material on Process Tracing and Natural Experiments

Process Tracing

• 10. Andrew Bennett, “Process Tracing and Causal Inference”

• 11. David A. Freedman, “On Types of Scientific Inquiry: The Role of Qualitative Reasoning”

• 12. Henry E. Brady, “Data-Set Observations versus Causal-Process Observations: The 2000 U.S. Presidential Election”

• Addendum: Teaching Process Tracing

Regression Analysis and Natural Experiments

• 13. Jason Seawright, “Regression-Based Inference: A Case-Study in Failed Causal Assessment”

• 14. Thad Dunning, “Design-Based Inference: Beyond the Pitfalls of Regression Analysis?”

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Topics Today

• Process Tracing

Revising process-tracing tests with formal logic.

• Medium-N Techniques such as fs/QCA

New tools for evaluation

• Natural Experiments

Systematic comparison of successes and

failures, and tools for avoiding failure.

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Process Tracing

• Systematic examination of diagnostic evidence

selected and analyzed in light of research

questions and hypotheses posed by the

investigator.

• Crucial form of within-case analysis

• Importance enhanced, given worries about small-

N comparative analysis

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Widely-Discussed Diagnostic Tests

• Van Evera, Bennett, Collier

• How many have read the Collier process-

tracing article?

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