Qualitative causal inference and explanation / David Waldner, University of Virginia.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Waldner, David, Author.

Series:

Strategies for social inquiry .

Strategies for social inquiry

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Qualitative research.

Social sciences--Methodology.

Social sciences.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxii, 373 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026.

Summary:

While existing qualitative, case-study methods deliver specific explanations, quantitative approaches to causal inference emphasize valid inferences at the expense of explanations. In this book, David Waldner presents a hybrid method drawing on both approaches to ensure that explanations are based on validly inferred causes and to avoid making valid inferences that have limited explanatory power. Qualitative Causal Inference and Explanation integrates a qualitative identification strategy based on graph-theoretic analysis into traditional process-tracing methods by introducing three novel methodological concepts: hypothetical interventions, invariant causal mechanisms, and event-history maps. This new approach provides clear and feasible standards for making valid, unit-level causal inferences. The result is a groundbreaking approach to explaining complex social and political phenomena, one that better avoids false positives while providing explanations that satisfy the criteria of explanatory depth, density, relevance, and unification.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 31 Jul 2026).

ISBN:

1-009-76953-7