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Path tracing in the study of agency and structures : Methodological considerations

Sotarauta, Markku and Grillitsch, Markus LU (2023) In Progress in Human Geography 47(1).
Abstract

Despite the rapidly expanding literature on agency in regional development, the methodological approaches available to study it have not followed theoretical development and empirical studies. This article aims to shed light on methodological issues related to the study of path dependence, path creation and agency. The article’s main purpose is to construct a methodology - path tracing - that would allow studying path development by scrutinising how structures constrain actors and how actors work to shape the very same structures in which they are embedded. Path tracing draws on critical realism, process tracing and structured narrative analysis.

Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
agency, methodology, narrative, path development, process, structure
in
Progress in Human Geography
volume
47
issue
1
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:85144236395
ISSN
0309-1325
DOI
10.1177/03091325221145590
project
Regional Growth against all odds
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Länsförsäkringar Alliance Research Foundation, Sweden (No. 2017/01/011). Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.
id
6b5af835-53a6-4c5c-b3fe-74f7232d2d02
date added to LUP
2022-12-27 09:35:30
date last changed
2024-01-18 17:00:38
@article{6b5af835-53a6-4c5c-b3fe-74f7232d2d02,
  abstract     = {{<p>Despite the rapidly expanding literature on agency in regional development, the methodological approaches available to study it have not followed theoretical development and empirical studies. This article aims to shed light on methodological issues related to the study of path dependence, path creation and agency. The article’s main purpose is to construct a methodology - path tracing - that would allow studying path development by scrutinising how structures constrain actors and how actors work to shape the very same structures in which they are embedded. Path tracing draws on critical realism, process tracing and structured narrative analysis.</p>}},
  author       = {{Sotarauta, Markku and Grillitsch, Markus}},
  issn         = {{0309-1325}},
  keywords     = {{agency; methodology; narrative; path development; process; structure}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Progress in Human Geography}},
  title        = {{Path tracing in the study of agency and structures : Methodological considerations}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/03091325221145590}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/03091325221145590}},
  volume       = {{47}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}