Qualitative Comparative Analysis

An Introduction to Research Design and Application

AvPatrick A. Mello

Häftad, Engelska, 2021

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Beskrivning

A comprehensive and accessible guide to learning and successfully applying QCASocial 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, 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.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2021-12-01
Mått:178 x 254 x 18 mm
Vikt:590 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:240
Förlag:Georgetown University Press
ISBN:9781647121457

Utforska kategorier

Ledarskapsböcker inom Ekonomi och Ledarskap
Sociologi inom Samhälle och politik
Offentlig förvaltning inom Samhälle och politik

Mer om författaren

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.

Recensioner i media

Mello’s book especially stands out from other publications on QCA in three different areas: the chapters on research design (Chapter II), QCA and its critics (Chapter IX) and the online ‘R Manual’ that accompanies the publication. These elements are especially interesting given the fact they are not discussed in many texts on QCA, thus filling an additional gap in the literature on the method.

Innehållsförteckning

List of Boxes, Figures, and TablesPrefaceAcknowledgments1. IntroductionWhat Is Qualitative Comparative Analysis?How To Use This BookThe QCA Research CycleA Brief History of QCATrends in QCA ApplicationsBook OutlineNotes 2. Research DesignResearch QuestionsUses of QCACase SelectionCondition SelectionMulti-Method Research DesignsA Survey of Empirical ApplicationsNotes3. Set TheoryCrisp and Fuzzy SetsSet OperationsTruth TablesNecessary and Sufficient ConditionsAssessing Set RelationsNotes 4. Causation and Causal ComplexityTheories of Causation in the Social SciencesCausal ComplexityCausal AnalysisNotes5. Calibrating SetsMeasurement and CalibrationCalibration ProceduresTypes of DataThe Direct Method of CalibrationCalibration: Applied ExamplesCommon Misconceptions about CalibrationGood Practices of CalibrationNotes 6. Measures of FitSet-Theoretic ConsistencySet-Theoretic CoverageProportional Reduction in InconsistencyRelevance of NecessityNotes7. Set-Theoretic AnalysisAnalyzing Necessary ConditionsTruth Table ConstructionTruth Table AnalysisSolution TermsCounterfactual AnalysisNotes8. QCA VariantsMulti-Value QCATemporal QCATwo-Step QCAFuzzy Set Ideal Type AnalysisRelated Methods and ApproachesNotes9. QCA and Its CriticsAnalytical RobustnessComparisons with Other MethodsFormalization and AlgorithmsCausal Analysis and Solution TermsRecognizing QCA’s Strengths and LimitationsNotes10. ConclusionGood Research PracticeDocumenting and Communicating QCA ResultsQCA ResourcesThe Way AheadNotesAppendix: Link to Online R ManualGlossaryReferencesIndexAbout the Author