GOLTC Qualitative Research Interest Group Webinar

Join us for the first webinar of the new GOLTC Qualitative research interest group!

In this session, Prof Hareth Al-Janabi (University of Birmingham) and Dr Igor Shagalov (University of Birmingham and CPEC, LSE) will introduce 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 discuss 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 will conclude with a discussion on the potential use of process tracing in health and care research.

Date: 5 November 2025

Time: 12pm to 13pm GMT, you can check your local time here

Link: Register to join on Zoom

The webinar will cover:

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

Useful reading:

• Johnson, R., Allard, C., Soan, C., Beach, D., & Al-Janabi, H. (2025). ‘Care as capital’: Developing theory about school investment in mental health and wellbeing. Social Science & Medicine, 366, 117665. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953624011195
• Johnson, R., Beach, D., & Al-Janabi, H. (2024). How is process tracing applied in health research? A systematic scoping review. Social Science & Medicine, 117539. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953624009936?via%3Dihub