This module introduces you to the nuts and bolts of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), an innovative set-theoretic technique that allows for comparisons of small, intermediate or large numbers of cases in order to identify necessary and / or sufficient conditions for an outcome. It is an attractive method for scholars who seek to model causally complex patterns and integrate in-depth case knowledge at all stages of the analysis. We will introduce you to performing QCA with the freely available R software using the user-friendly RStudio environment.

• QCA: Origin, variants, uses and approaches
• Set theory and causal complexity
• Defining, structuring, measuring and calibrating concepts as sets
• Analyses of necessity and sufficiency
• Truth tables, limited diversity and counterfactual reasoning
• Conservative, intermediate and parsimonious solution types
• Set-theoretic multi-method research
• Potential pitfalls (skewed data, model ambiguities, robustness, etc.)