Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) uses Boolean algebra to offer an alternative to conventional statistical techniques for analyzing empirical data. While large-N representative applications of QCA are increasingly popular, QCA is especially useful for identifying and understanding cross-case patterns in small- and medium-N projects with data collected using qualitative and/or mixed methods. Fundamentally a pattern-matching technique … Continue reading Introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (Southwestern Social Science Association 2022) →

This workshop offers an intensive 4-day introduction to causal modeling with Coincidence Analysis (CNA), a relatively new configurational comparative method of data analysis geared towards causal complexity. In plenary lectures, the main developer of CNA, Michael Baumgartner, and a team of experienced CNA methodologists and practitioners will guide participants through the nuts and bolts of … Continue reading Introduction to Causal Data Analysis and Modeling with Coincidence Analysis →

The purpose of this course is to provide training on all aspects that enable a researcher to build and implement the most appropriate comparative research design – the latter broadly defined as any research enterprise that comprises at least two ‘cases’ or observations. On the one hand, the course will cover a few fundamental upstream … Continue reading Summer School in Social Research Methods: Comparative Research Designs →

This course introduces students 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 … Continue reading Summer School in Social Research Methods: Introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) →

The central aim of the course is to enable participants to put in practice state-of-the-art QCA empirical research. Apart from learning how to apply QCA in the best possible way, discussions in class will address from a set-theoretic point of view general methodological issues, such as robustness tests, theory evaluation, case selection strategies, or the … Continue reading Summer School in Social Research Methods: Advanced Applied Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) →

This 3-day online PhD course is part of the ERIM Summer School of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. The course introduces you to the nuts and bolts of QCA. It is structured in six sessions (each ½ days) covering the history of QCA, the logics of case selection and research designs, small-N QCA, … Continue reading Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA): A set-analytic approach to studying organizational configurations →

This intensive 5-day workshop gives a thorough introduction to the foundations and advanced functions of QCA, placing emphasis on research design and empirical application. The course is based on Patrick Mello’s Qualitative Comparative Analysis: An Introduction to Research Design and Application (Georgetown University Press 2021). The workshop sessions are complemented by illustrations and exercises, using … Continue reading Qualitative Comparative Analysis: An Introduction to Research Design and Application →

A solid foundation in comparative case studies is essential for comparative social scientists. This five-day in-person course provides you with the skills needed to design your qualitative comparative case study research, based on your own and/or other applied research projects. The course covers the topics of causal complexity, concept formation, casing and case selection, logics … Continue reading Comparative Case Study Design →