Using process-tracing to drive foreign policy analysis : strengths and weaknesses in the context of analyzing the foreign policies of the EU and Russia in the context of the Ukraine crisis / Nicholas Ross Smith
Upon choosing an international outcome--the Ukraine crisis--and devising a central research puzzle--to what degree did the foreign policies of the European Union and Russia influence the onset of the crisis--I decided upon the process tracing method to drive the research and analysis of my book project. Process tracing is a method which aims to enable the researcher to undertake rigorous causal analysis of an observed international political outcome. This case study begins by concisely overviewing the different types of process tracing--and the types of evidence that can be collected and the types of tests which can be utilized. Thereafter, my experience in developing a process tracing framework for my research is recounted--a five-step process is offered. Finally, my perceived strengths and weaknesses of the method are discussed
