Combining Game Theory Models and Process Tracing: Potential and Limits

Abstract

This article argues that process tracing provides a useful, although underestimated, avenue for empirically testing deductive game theoretical arguments. In-depth case analysis allows for a systematic evaluation of the crucial assumptions underlying the models and for making internally valid measurements of the model's core concepts. Furthermore, process tracing enables the researcher to overcome the weak conceptions of processes encountered in many game theoretic arguments. After outlining the usefulness of combining deductive game theory and process tracing, as well as discussing the limits of such an approach, the article illustrates the argument with an example from substantive research on civil–military relations in new democracies.