A comprehensive and accessible guide to learning and successfully applying QCA Social phenomena can rarely be attributed to single causes-instead, they typically stem from a myriad of interwoven factors that are often difficult to untangle. Drawing on set theory and the language of necessary and sufficient conditions, however, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is ideally suited to capturing this causal complexity. A case-based research method, QCA regards cases as combinations of conditions and compares the conditions of each case in a structured way to identify the necessary and sufficient conditions for an outcome. Qualitative Comparative Analysis: An Introduction to Research Design and Application is a comprehensive guide to QCA. As QCA becomes increasingly popular across the social sciences, this textbook teaches students, scholars, and self-learners the fundamentals of the method, research design, interpretation of results, and how to communicate findings. Following an ideal typical research cycle, the book's ten chapters cover the methodological basis and analytical routine of QCA, as well as matters of research design, causation and causal complexity, QCA variants, and the method's reception in the social sciences. A comprehensive glossary helps to clarify the meaning of frequently used terms. The book is complemented by an accessible online R manual to help new users to practice QCA's analytical steps on sample data and then implement with their own findings. This hands-on textbook is an essential resource for students and researchers looking for a complete and up-to-date introduction to QCA.
Patrick A. Mello is a visiting scholar at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy at the University of Erfurt and privatdozent at the TUM School of Governance of the Technical University of Munich. He is the author of Democratic Participation in Armed Conflict: Military Involvement in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, winner of the 2015 Dissertation Award from the German Political Science Association. His articles have appeared in journals such as Foreign Policy Analysis, European Journal of International Security, and the British Journal of Politics and International Relations.
List of Boxes, Figures, and Tables Preface Acknowledgments 1. Introduction What Is Qualitative Comparative Analysis? How To Use This Book The QCA Research Cycle A Brief History of QCA Trends in QCA Applications Book Outline Notes 2. Research Design Research Questions Uses of QCA Case Selection Condition Selection Multi-Method Research Designs A Survey of Empirical Applications Notes 3. Set Theory Crisp and Fuzzy Sets Set Operations Truth Tables Necessary and Sufficient Conditions Assessing Set Relations Notes 4. Causation and Causal Complexity Theories of Causation in the Social Sciences Causal Complexity Causal Analysis Notes 5. Calibrating Sets Measurement and Calibration Calibration Procedures Types of Data The Direct Method of Calibration Calibration: Applied Examples Common Misconceptions about Calibration Good Practices of Calibration Notes 6. Measures of Fit Set-Theoretic Consistency Set-Theoretic Coverage Proportional Reduction in Inconsistency Relevance of Necessity Notes 7. Set-Theoretic Analysis Analyzing Necessary Conditions Truth Table Construction Truth Table Analysis Solution Terms Counterfactual Analysis Notes 8. QCA Variants Multi-Value QCA Temporal QCA Two-Step QCA Fuzzy Set Ideal Type Analysis Related Methods and Approaches Notes 9. QCA and Its Critics Analytical Robustness Comparisons with Other Methods Formalization and Algorithms Causal Analysis and Solution Terms Recognizing QCA's Strengths and Limitations Notes 10. Conclusion Good Research Practice Documenting and Communicating QCA Results QCA Resources The Way Ahead Notes Appendix: Link to Online R Manual Glossary References Index About the Author
