Qualitative Process Tracing in Health and Social Care Research

GOLTC Qualitative Research Interest Group Webinar

Date: 5 November 2025

In this session, Prof Hareth Al-Janabi (University of Birmingham) and Dr Igor Shagalov (University of Birmingham and CPEC, LSE) introduced qualitative process tracing, an approach that uses qualitative data to explore how and why outcomes occur by identifying underlying causal mechanisms.

With a strong methodological focus, the webinar will discussed how process tracing can support causal inference and enhance the analytical rigour of case-based research, with insights from the WISE study on investment in mental health and wellbeing in English schools.

The session concluded with a discussion on the potential use of process tracing in health and care research.

The webinar covered:

1. Introduction to the Global Observatory of Long-Term care and welcome (Adelina Comas-Herrera, Care Policy and Evaluation Centre, LSE, UK).
2. Introduction to the GOLTC Qualitative Research Interest Group (Chiara De Poli, Care Policy and Evaluation Centre, LSE, UK)
3. Presentation: Qualitative Process Tracing in Health and Social Care Research Hareth Al-Janabi, Health Economics Unit, University of Birmingham and Igor Shagalov, Health Economics Unit, University of Birmingham and CPEC, LSE
4. Discussion: Chiara De Poli, Care Policy and Evaluation Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science