Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a method that has become part of the toolbox in disciplines such as political science, sociology, public administration and organization and management studies. QCA can be used to answer any research question if one is interested in analyzing patterns of necessity and sufficiency in a group of cases, ranging from a handful to many thousands. This course introduces participants to the principles and techniques of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) on a methodological and an applied dimension. At the end of the course, participants will be familiar with the key elements of a QCA study and know how to read, criticize, and implement an empirical analysis.

Software: We will use R within RStudio, both of which are freely available. It is recommended that participants be familiar with RStudio and basic commands. Participants who want to acquire basic R programming skills, or need to refresh them, should take an introductory R course, or should access an online tutorial in advance of the course. Before the course starts, I will share basic information on online tutorials and the entire R code that I will use for illustrating QCA.

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of QCA and set-theoretic thinking is useful, but not necessary, for taking the course.