PROCESS TRACING: ZKOUMÁNÍ KAUZALITY V PŘÍPADOVÝCH STUDIÍCH

This paper addresses process tracing as a tool for studying causality in case studies. The method of process tracing, which is based on explicit specification of a causal mechanism and formalized treatment of empirical evidence, is intensively developed in political science. However, sociology and other social sciences seem to be turning a blind eye to the method. Therefore, the paper strives to familiarize the Czech and Slovak sociological community with this method and to outline the ongoing discussions about its application. The value of process tracing dwells not only in the elaborate frame for standardization of case studies, but also in the related debates reflecting upon a whole range of general methodological issues. This makes process tracing a valuable lesson in contemporary social science methodology and possibilities in non-experimental analysis of causality.