COMPASSS

International Winter School on Public Policy (ALPS Edition 2022) - Qualitative Comparative Analysis
2022-01-31 - 2022-02-04 | Università della Svizzera Italiana, Via Giuseppe Buffi 13, Lugano, Ticino, 6900, Switzerland
Program Description
The winter school aims at providing the opportunity for Ph.D. students and early career researchers to advance their knowledge on Public Policy theories, concepts and, methodologies. Students will take part in workshops where they will be able to discuss their research projects and receive feedback from both their peers and acclaimed scholars of public policy.
In the course of 5 days, selected Ph.D. students or young scholars will have the opportunity to attend the following activities:
Four hours of lectures from 4 different International scholars on specific public policy approaches, concepts, and theories
10 hours of course by an International scholar on a particular issue. This is a hybrid course. Each group will be composed of a maximum of 10 students on-site and 5-10 online, in order to comply with the recommended physical distance between the participants
12 hours of workshop sessions together with your group, giving the students the option to present their work to the group, and have their topic being discussed by their peers and the professors. Each project will be discussed for 45 minutes to 1h.
Course Description
Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a set-theoretic method for identifying necessary and/or sufficient conditions for outcomes which is increasingly used in comparative policy analysis. Its core advantages lie in modelling causal complexity and enabling systematic comparisons to identify regularities, while integrating case knowledge at all levels of analysis. This course introduces participants to the nuts and bolts of QCA and its implementation using the most powerful currently available software in R. Apart from basic knowledge of empirical social research design and methodology, no particular pre-existing knowledge is required.

The quantification of qualitative data (Part of the discussion series "the practice of mixed methods and mixed data research")
2022-01-14 13:00 - 14:00 (Europe/Amsterdam) | Online
How can we perform a meaningful quantification of qualitative data, for instance through calibration? The session “The quantification of qualitative data” will try to answer to these and other questions as part of the discussion series “The practice of mixed methods and mixed data research” (link: https://ias.uva.nl/content/events/events/2021/12/03.12.2021-the-practice-of-mixed-methods-and-mixed-data-research.html?origin=5stlxoO%2BSgu6vwzHnf7uPg), hosted at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) at the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands).
To join, please register to the session through this link: https://ias.uva.nl/content/events/events/2022/01/14.01.2022-the-quantification-of-qualitative-data.html

5th International QCA Paper Development Workshop
2021-12-13 - 2021-12-14 | Seattle Convention Center, 705 Pike Street, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
The International QCA Paper Development Workshop 2021 provides a unique platform for researchers working on papers involving QCA to meet QCA experts, get feedback on their on-going research and learn about the latest methodological developments in QCA. The workshop is interdisciplinary and interactive and allows for in-depth discussions and individual feedback from internationally renowned QCA scholars. This year the International QCA Paper Development Workshop 2021 will take place on 13th December 2021. As this year’s edition will be a hybrid event, the workshop might also include 14th December. Please book both days; more information will be shared in due time.
Preliminary Workshop Program
The International QCA Paper Development Workshop primarily consists of roundtable forums for participants to receive detailed feedback from QCA experts on their ongoing research projects. The workshop program will also include group discussions (providing participants with practical information on key topics related to their
own research (e.g. case and model selection, calibration, specific issues in small-n or large-n QCA) and a panel session. We are also working to organize opportunities for interactions between participants and faculty beyond the scheduled sessions. The workshop will take place as a hybrid event that is bringing together online participants with on-site participants. We will carefully follow the development of the global COVID-19 pandemic and adjust the program accordingly.

Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Fuzzy Sets
2021-08-30 09:00 - 2021-09-10 15:00 (America/Mexico_City) | Online
This course introduces participants to set-theoretic methods and their application in the social sciences with a focus on Qualitative Comparative Analysis. The course starts out by familiarizing students with the basic concepts of the underlying methodological perspective, among them the central notions of necessity and sufficiency, formal logic and Boolean algebra. From there, we move to the logic and analysis of truth tables and discuss the most important problems that emerge when this analytical tool is used for exploring social science data. Right from the beginning, students will be exposed to performing set-theoretic analyses with the relevant R software packages. When discussing set-theoretic methods, in-class debates will engage on broad, general comparative social research issues, such as case selection principles, concept formation, questions of data aggregation and the treatment of causally relevant notions of time. Examples are drawn from published applications in the social sciences. Participants are encouraged to bring their own raw data for in-class exercises and assignments, if available.

Qualitative Comparative Analysis: Research Design and Application (25th Summer School in Social Science Methods)
2021-08-23 - 2021-08-27 | Università della Svizzera Italiana, Via Buffi 13, Lugano, 6900, Switzerland
Workshop contents and objectives
This workshop gives a thorough introduction to the method of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), with an emphasis on research design and practical application. Since its inception (Ragin 1987), QCA has gained recognition among social scientists as a case-based research method that is ideally suited to capture causal complexity. This essentially describes a situation where an outcome results from multiple pathways and different combinations of conditions. Moreover, QCA entails a rigorous and systematic comparison of selected cases and their configurations through Boolean logic and a software-based analytical protocol.
Throughout this workshop, participants will be introduced to the building blocks of QCA, while the course structure follows an ideal-typical research process. The introduction opens with empirical illustrations to show how and for what purposes QCA is being used, before summarizing the method’s key characteristics. This is followed by sessions on causation, causal complexity, and research design, to provide a foundation for thinking about empirical applications. The ensuing sessions engage with the use of QCA as an analytical approach, starting with set theory and concepts like necessary and sufficient conditions, Boolean algebra, truth tables, and fuzzy sets. In calibrating sets, we look into approaches to transform empirical raw data into crisp and fuzzy sets. Next, the course examines various measures of fit that help in evaluating QCA results. The session on set-theoretic analysis puts all of the elements together and shows how empirical data is analyzed and interpreted with QCA. Finally, the workshop closes with sessions on advanced topics, which can be tailored based on participants’ background and research interests. Potential topics include multi-method research design, QCA variants, addressing critiques, and recent developments.
The workshop sessions are complemented by illustrations and exercises, using the R Software environment and relevant R Packages. Reading material from the QCA textbook (Mello, forthcoming) will be made available to the course participants.
Requirements
Course participants are not expected to have any previous knowledge of QCA or the R software environment and its relevant packages. Participants will receive preparatory instructions ahead of the summer school, so that they can install the relevant software and familiarize themselves with the environment of R and RStudio.

Coincidence Analysis (CNA) in Health Services Research
2021-08-03 - 2021-08-05 | Online
Hosted by Regenstrief Institute, this intensive course offers health researchers a tailored approach to applying Coincidence Analysis (CNA).
Part I of the Beginners-level Course on CNA begins with an intensive 3-day exploration of configurational comparative methods with a focus on Coincidence Analysis (CNA). Michael Baumgartner will guide participants through the the philosophical roots of regularity theories of causation, search strategies, optimization algorithms, and measures of fit. Following this 3-day workshop, the instructors will remain available for discussion to help participants with the methodological aspects of their research projects.
Part II of the Beginners-level Course on CNA follows the 3-day workshop and will be led by Deborah Cragun and Edward Miech. Part II is a three-session online practicum that will start in August 2021 and is designed to help participants develop the skill and confidence needed to apply these concepts learned in Part I to their own research. Part II will take place in small groups of approximately 10 to 15 participants: the same small group will meet for one hour per week for a total of three sessions. The practicum sessions will be offered at a variety of dates/times during the last three weeks of August 2021 to accommodate different time zones.
Note: Sold out.

Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA): A set-analytic approach to studying organizational configurations
2021-06-21 - 2021-06-25 | Erasmus Research Institute of Management, Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam, 3062 PA, Netherlands
This 3-day introduces you to the nuts and bolts of QCA. It is structured in six session (each ½ days) covering the history of QCA, the logics of case selection and research designs, small-N QCA, large-N QCA, configurational research in management, and advanced topics in QCA. Throughout the course, we will also explore opportunities for you to use QCA for your own research. After the course, you should be familiar with the history of QCA and current advanced topics in QCA, understand the logic of set-analytic methods, and develop a configurational research design for your own research field.

ECPR Winter School: Advanced Qualitative Comparative Analysis
2021-03-22 14:30 - 2021-03-26 17:00 (Europe/London) | Online
This course will deepen your understanding of the potentials and pitfalls of set-theoretic methods. The skills you gain will enable you to be more critical and assertive if and when you choose or reject set-theoretic methods as the most appropriate research method for your research project.
By the end of this course, you will be able to produce QCA studies of a quality and level of sophistication beyond the current mainstream and thus yield substantive results that are more compelling for you and for your (critical) audience.
We will try and address all the following topics but, depending on participants’ needs and interests, we can put more emphasis on some:

Set-theoretic multi-method research (SMMR)
Set-theoretic robustness and sensitivity
Set-theoretic theory evaluation
Enhanced Standard Analysis
Data structures and set-theoretic methods, including temporal ordering and two-step QCA
Model ambiguity
Multi-value QCA

This course provides a highly interactive online teaching and learning environment, using state of the art online pedagogical tools. It is designed for a demanding audience (researchers, professional analysts, advanced students) and capped at a maximum of 16 participants so that the teaching team (the Instructor plus one highly qualified Teaching Assistant) can cater to the specific needs of each individual.

ECPR Winter School: Qualitative Comparative Analysis
2021-03-15 14:30 - 2021-03-19 17:00 (Europe/London) | Online
This course introduces you to Qualitative Comparative Analysis and fuzzy sets, and their application in the social sciences, using the R software environment.
It starts out by familiarising you with the basic concepts of the underlying methodological perspective, including formal logic, Boolean algebra, causal complexity, and calibration. From there, we move to the central notions of necessity and sufficiency, and discuss ways to analyse these using parameters of fit and visualisation techniques.
The core of the course focuses on the logic and analysis of truth tables and discusses the most important problems that emerge when this analytical tool is used for exploring social science data.
Right from the beginning, you will perform set-theoretic analyses with the relevant R software packages. When discussing set-theoretic methods, our debates will engage on broad, general comparative social research issues, such as case selection principles, concept formation, questions of data aggregation, and the treatment of causally relevant notions of time.
The use of QCA will be practiced based on data from published applications in the social sciences.
This course provides a highly interactive online teaching and learning environment, using state of the art online pedagogical tools. It is designed for a demanding audience (researchers, professional analysts, advanced students) and capped at a maximum of 16 participants so that the teaching team (the Instructor plus one highly qualified Teaching Assistant) can cater to the specific needs of each individual.
Prerequisite Knowledge
You don’t need any prior knowledge of QCA or the R software environment and the package relevant for set-theoretic methods. However, you would profit from prior empirical-comparative training (such as the Comparative Research Designs course on that same week, A:M) and we strongly encourage advance familiarisation with the basic principles of the QCA method by reading the recommended literature.
A previous introduction to the basic functions of R and RStudio would be useful to start working with the software from day 1. We will give you some Intro to R material specific to QCA and we strongly encourage you to practice some of the basics (e.g. loading and manipulating a dataset) beforehand.
Prior knowledge of the very basics of formal logic and set theory would be very useful but are not expected.

ECPR Winter School: Comparative Research Design
2021-03-15 - 2021-03-19 | Online
This course provides training on methods that enable a researcher to construct a solid and well-argued comparative research design (CRD) – any research enterprise that comprises at least two ‘cases’ or units of analysis.
We will cover multiple options, from very few cases (small-n) to multiple cases (intermediate-n) to many cases (larger-n), and in particular options that are QCA-compatible.
By the end of this course, you will be able to write up a well-constructed CRD section for your project and to reflect strategically on your comparative research project.
Key topics covered
We will cover a logical sequence of topics that constitute the core building blocks of a solid CRD:

Thinking upstream: why go comparative? What is the added value of comparison? What should be the mindset of a good comparative researcher? What is the link between a research puzzle and the choice for a CRD? How to formulate a comparative research question?
‘Casing’ operations: what are my cases, how to define them, conceptually and empirically? At which level(s) (micro, meso, macro) can they be apprehended? And what about the time dimension?
Which case selection strategy to choose? How many cases and which ones? Should I go ‘smaller-n’ or ‘larger-n’? Should I select cases with similar or different outcomes? Which basic case selection strategies are available, and what are the pros and cons? And what about more advanced strategies, e.g. ‘nested’ (multilevel) designs, designs including multiple time periods, etc?
How to systematically collect good-quality data when covering multiple cases? What are the tricks of the trade? How to gain sufficient ‘intimacy’ with the respective cases (case-based-knowledge)? And how to compile and manage this data?
How to engage in comparative data analysis? Which toolbox(es) to select, among ‘qualitative’ (case-oriented), specifically comparative (in particular QCA – Qualitative Comparative Analysis), and ‘quantitative’ (statistical, variable-oriented) data analysis techniques?

We’ll unpack topics 1, 2 and 3 in detail, and take a bird’s eye view of topics 4 and 5 because they refer to multiple methods and techniques (including QCA).
This seminar-type course provides a highly interactive online teaching and learning environment, using state of the art online pedagogical tools. It is designed for a demanding audience (researchers, professional analysts, advanced students) and capped at a maximum of 12 participants so that the Instructor can cater to the specific needs of each individual.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Little prior knowledge is expected. Any training in qualitative and/or quantitative methods would be an asset, but is by no means a requirement. You should simply be willing to reflect openly about your research design – there is no ‘best’ or ‘one-size-fits-all’ comparative research design.

Webinar: Combining NCA and QCA
2021-01-26 | Online
This webinar begins with a short introduction to NCA, followed by a comparison of NCA and QCA and suggestions for using both techniques to complement one another. The webinar will last approximately 1.5 hours (~60 minutes of presentation plus ~30 minutes of Q&A).
To facilitate participants from different time zones, the webinar will be offered twice:

NCA and QCA 1: Tuesday 26th January 9:00 (CET, Rotterdam Time)
NCA and QCA 2: Tuesday 26th January 17:00 (CET, Rotterdam Time)

4th International QCA Paper Development Workshop
2020-11-25 - 2020-11-26 | Online
The International QCA Paper Development Workshop 2020 provides a unique platform for researchers working on papers involving QCA to meet QCA experts, get feedback on their on-going research, and learn about the latest methodological developments in QCA. The workshop is interdisciplinary and interactive and allows for in-depth discussions and individual feedback from internationally renowned QCA scholars. This year the International QCA Paper Development Workshop 2020 will take place as an online event.
Submission Procedure, Schedule, and Best Paper Award
To participate in the workshop, please submit an extended abstract of 1,000-1,500 words to sofia.pagliarin@uni-bamberg.de by 5th October 2020. Besides summarizing your study’s topical area, theoretical background, research gap and question, your abstract should give a detailed account of the constructed dataset (number of cases, data collection strategy) and include results at a preliminary or at a more advanced stage. A panel of QCA experts will review all submissions and evaluate their fit with the workshop according to mid/advanced stage of the research, clarity of purpose, methodological rigor and innovative character of the performed study. We will notify applicants no later than 19th October 2020. Accepted participants will have submit a full paper – a version as complete as possible – by 9th November 2020 by using a pre-defined template (max. 15 pages) that we will circulate in due time. A panel of experts will review all full papers submitted in time to recognize the authors of outstanding submissions with the 2020 Best Paper Award.

8th International QCA Expert Workshop 2020
2020-11-23 - 2020-11-24 | Online
The 8th International QCA Expert Workshop (ETH Zurich, Online event, 23/24 November 2020) provides a venue for experienced QCA researchers to discuss the latest and most important developments around QCA. The workshop focuses exclusively on methodological and conceptual advances around QCA, not on applications of QCA in empirical research. We expect all participants to actively participate in the program. In order to allow for active participation among researchers with diverse academic backgrounds, the number of participants is limited. If you’re working on a project which you think might fit to the workshop, please contact Johannes Meuer.

CECAN Webinar: Trajectory-Based Qualitative Comparative Analysis (TJ-QCA)
2020-11-11 14:00 - 15:00 (Europe/Paris) | Online
Prof. Dr. Dr. Lasse Gerrits (IHS, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and Dr. Sofia Pagliarin (University of Bamberg, Germany) will present Trajectory-based QCA (TJ-QCA) as a new way to account for and integrate processes over time in QCA both conceptually and methodologically.
Research methods usually struggle with the complexity of social processes, such as policy processes, and how they play out over time. As commonly acknowledged, the outcome of these processes observed ‘here and now’ is a result of what happened ‘back then’. We therefore need to account for the conditions back in time to explain what is happening now. We present a novel version of Qualitative Comparative Analysis, called Trajectory-based QCA (TJ-QCA). This method compares processes over time to highlight the combinations of conditions that contribute to the outcome.
Concrete examples will be used to demonstrate how the technique works, and there will be ample time to ask questions. To follow the presentation, please register for the event at the link below.

Qualitative Comparative Analysis (1st ECPR Virtual Summer School)
2020-08-03 - 2020-08-07 | Online
This course introduces you to Qualitative Comparative Analysis and fuzzy sets, and their application in the social sciences, using the R software environment.
It starts out by familiarising you with the basic concepts of the underlying methodological perspective, including formal logic, Boolean algebra, causal complexity, and calibration. From there, we move to the central notions of necessity and sufficiency, and discuss ways to analyse these using parameters of fit and visualisation techniques.
The core of the course focuses on the logic and analysis of truth tables and discusses the most important problems that emerge when this analytical tool is used for exploring social science data.
Right from the beginning, you will perform set-theoretic analyses with the relevant R software packages. When discussing set-theoretic methods, our debates will engage on broad, general comparative social research issues, such as case selection principles, concept formation, questions of data aggregation, and the treatment of causally relevant notions of time.
The use of QCA will be practiced based on data from published applications in the social sciences.
This course provides a highly interactive online teaching and learning environment, using state of the art online pedagogical tools. It is designed for a demanding audience (researchers, professional analysts, advanced students) and capped at a maximum of 16 participants so that the teaching team (the Instructor plus one highly qualified Teaching Assistant) can cater to the specific needs of each individual.
Prerequisite Knowledge
You don’t need any prior knowledge of QCA or the R software environment and the package relevant for set-theoretic methods. However, you would profit from prior empirical-comparative training (such as the Comparative Research Designs course in Week 1) and we strongly encourage advance familiarisation with the basic principles of the QCA method by reading the recommended literature.
A previous introduction to the basic functions of R and RStudio would be useful to start working with the software from day 1. We will give you some Intro to R material specific to QCA and we strongly encourage you to practice some of the basics (e.g. loading and manipulating a dataset) beforehand.
Prior knowledge of the very basics of formal logic and set theory would be very useful but are not expected.

Comparative Research Designs (1st ECPR Virtual Summer School)
2020-07-27 - 2020-07-31 | Online
This course provides training on methods that enable a researcher to construct a solid and well-argued comparative research design (CRD) – any research enterprise that comprises at least two ‘cases’ or units of analysis.
We will cover multiple options, from very few cases (small-n) to multiple cases (intermediate-n) to many cases (larger-n).
By the end of this course, you will be able to write up a well-constructed CRD section for your project and to reflect strategically on your comparative research project.
Key topics covered
We will cover a logical sequence of topics that constitute the core building blocks of a solid CRD:

Thinking upstream: why go comparative? What is the added value of comparison? What should be the mindset of a good comparative researcher? What is the link between a research puzzle and the choice for a CRD? How to formulate a comparative research question?
‘Casing’ operations: what are my cases, how to define them, conceptually and empirically? At which level(s) (micro, meso, macro) can they be apprehended? And what about the time dimension?
Which case selection strategy to choose? How many cases and which ones? Should I go ‘smaller-n’ or ‘larger-n’? Should I select cases with similar or different outcomes? Which basic case selection strategies are available, and what are the pros and cons? And what about more advanced strategies, e.g. ‘nested’ (multilevel) designs, designs including multiple time periods, etc?
How to systematically collect good-quality data when covering multiple cases? What are the tricks of the trade? How to gain sufficient ‘intimacy’ with the respective cases (case-based-knowledge)? And how to compile and manage this data?
How to engage in comparative data analysis? Which toolbox(es) to select, among ‘qualitative’ (case-oriented), specifically comparative (in particular QCA – Qualitative Comparative Analysis), and ‘quantitative’ (statistical, variable-oriented) data analysis techniques?

We’ll unpack topics 1, 2 and 3 in detail, and take a bird’s eye view of topics 4 and 5 because they refer to multiple methods and techniques (and multiple specialised – including many courses in weeks 2 and 3 of the 1st ECPR Virtual Methods School).
This seminar-type course provides a highly interactive online teaching and learning environment, using state of the art online pedagogical tools. It is designed for a demanding audience (researchers, professional analysts, advanced students) and capped at a maximum of 12 participants so that the Instructor can cater to the specific needs of each individual.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Little prior knowledge is expected. Any training in qualitative and/or quantitative methods would be an asset, but is by no means a requirement. You should simply be willing to reflect openly about your research design – there is no ‘best’ or ‘one-size-fits-all’ comparative research design.

Complexity, Organizations, and Grand Challenges (36th EGOS Colloquium)
2020-07-02 - 2020-07-04 | University of Hamberg, Hamberg, 20146, Germany
Managers and organizational scholars are increasingly being called on to deal with “grand challenges” and “wicked problems,” including issues such as poverty, public health, and climate change, to name but a few. One of the hallmarks of such grand challenges is their complexity, for as the EGOS Colloquium 2020 theme notes, they involve “an array of potential dilemmas, paradoxes, complexities, contradictions, and conflicts”. Such complexity is challenging and often surprising in both its nature and its consequences. Their interdependencies mean that the outcomes of attempts to solve such challenges are often unexpected and difficult to predict and may give rise to new issues elsewhere.
Likewise, managers who care about impactful results have realized that the path forward remains unclear. Existing data frequently offers a dizzying array of suggestions. Each suggestion may have merit and some may be more valuable than others. Yet, many suggestions may only work in combination or “conjunction” with others. A combination of a few tactics may be more effective than either a piecemeal approach that prioritizes only one strategy or a shotgun approach that tries everything.
Clearly, the complex challenges that societies and organizations currently face require nuanced and powerful theorizing. Yet, many of our current approaches – both theoretically and empirically – are not able to account for this kind of complexity. Thus, organizational scholars need to develop novel avenues of critical thinking, innovative and creative theories, and methodologies capable of translating creative theories into corresponding empirical models. In recent years, researchers have aimed to account for such complexity with a theoretical shift toward understanding phenomena in a configurational manner (Fiss et al., 2013; Misangyi et al., 2016). At the same time, corresponding methodological developments have aimed at tackling causal complexity, most prominently the emergence of a set-analytic perspective (Ragin, 1987, 2000, 2008; Fiss, 2007, 2011). These developments present more than a resurgence of configurational thinking or a new methodological approach – they suggest the emergence of a neo-configurational perspective, a perspective that aims to understand social and organizational phenomena in set-theoretic terms, allowing for an analysis of specific causal complexities.
In the current sub-theme, we aim to start a conversation about how this neo-configurational perspective offers opportunities to disentangle complex social and organizational challenges. Specifically, we would like to open up a dialogue about how a deeper engagement with complexity and the use of a neo-configurational perspective may reshape ways of theorizing organization; how we empirically engage with our data to understand the rich and complicated relationships that characterize organizational life; and how scholars may leverage causal complexity to advance research on grand challenges, wicked problems, and beyond.
We invite papers that contribute to a configurational understanding and welcome contributions from multiple theoretical fields of organizational studies. We encourage theoretical, empirical, and methodological contributions that strive to enhance our ability to capture causal complexity and the dynamic nature of configurations. We especially welcome papers deploying set-theoretic methods such as crisp and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and related set-analytic and configurational approaches, but also work using case studies, process tracing, and other empirical approaches for advancing our scholarly understanding of causal complexity.
Our sub-theme particularly invites contributions that focus on one or more of the following questions:

Theoretical Connections: How does a neo-configurational perspective challenge existing theories on grand challenges? How can set-theoretic methods deepen existing theories or integrate different aspects of existing theories such as institutional theories, resource dependency theories, and others?
Methodological Innovation: What new methodological tools do we need to disentangle causal complexity? How can we make the methodological toolkit more robust and complementary? On what assumptions are set-theoretic methods and QCA based and how can we assess/test these assumptions? What are the limits of set-theoretic methods?
Empirical Findings: We welcome original empirical applications of QCA in different fields of organizational studies (CSR, corporate governance and sustainability, strategy, sustainable entrepreneurship, human resources, etc.).
The Role of Organizations: What role, specifically, do organizations play in dealing with the challenges of today, both grand and small? How can organizations help us overcome complexity? Conversely, what is the role of complexity in (and of) organizations?
Uncovering (Category) Intersectionality: One central feature of grand challenges is the interconnected nature of social categorizations (e.g., the trade-offs among social, environmental and economic categories in the triple bottom line.) How can a neo-configurational perspective help us understand systems of reinforcing advantages and disadvantages?
Institutional Complexity: How might a neo-configurational perspective help us understand incompatible prescriptions from multiple institutional logics? What can it contribute to studying constellations of institutional logics?
Complex Organizational Forms: After a century of classic organizational forms and structures, new ways of organizing emerge, such as organizational networks, virtual and hybrid organizations. How can a neo-configurational perspective clarify the processes and the complex conditions that make these forms (in-)effective?
Theorizing Hybridity: Complexity can weaken difference in type, suggesting the existence of hybrid solutions or recombination instead of discrete categories and positions. How do we theorize such organizational hybridity and fuzzy organizational boundaries?

References

Fiss, P.C. (2007): “A set-theoretic approach to organizational configurations.” Academy of Management Review, 32 (4), 1180–1198.
Fiss, P.C. (2011): “Building better causal theories: A fuzzy set approach to typologies in organizational research.” Academy of Management Journal, 54 (2), 393–420.
Fiss, P.C., Cambré, B., & Marx, A. (eds.) (2013): Configurational Theory and Methods in Organizational Research. Research in the Sociology of Organizations, Vol. 38. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.
Misangyi, V.F. (2016): “Institutional complexity and the meaning of loose coupling: Connecting institutional sayings and (not) doings.” Strategic Organization, 14 (4), 1–34.
Ragin, C.C. (1987): The Comparative Method: Moving Beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Ragin, C.C. (2000): Fuzzy-Set Social Science. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Ragin, C.C. (2008): Redesigning Social Inquiry: Fuzzy Sets and Beyond. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Qualitative Comparative Analysis
2020-06-01 - 2020-06-03 | Online
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.

Southern California QCA Workshop - CANCELED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
2020-03-26 - 2020-03-28 | Central European University – Vienna, Quellenstraße 51, Vienna, Wien, 1100, Austria
The goal of this workshop is to provide a ground-up introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and fuzzy sets. Participants will get intensive instruction and hands-on experience with the fsQCA software package and on completion should be prepared to design and execute research projects using the set-analytic approach.
Update: The workshop has been canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic

ECPR Methods School: Advanced Topics in Set-Theoretic Methods and QCA
2020-02-17 - 2020-02-21 | University of Bamberg, Kapuzinerstraße 16, Bamberg, D-96047, Germany
This course addresses advanced issues that arise if and when scholars embrace notions of sets and their relations. While it is a course about set-theoretic methods writ large, most of the time, we will discuss issues specific to QCA. We will try and address all the following topics but, depending on participants’ needs and interests, we can put more emphasis on some: set-theoretic multi-method research; robustness and sensitivity; set-theoretic theory evaluation; enhanced Standard Analysis; data structures and set-theoretic methods, including temporal ordering and two-step QCA; model ambiguity; multi-value QCA.

ECPR Methods School: Introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)
2020-02-17 - 2020-02-21 | University of Bamberg, Kapuzinerstraße 16, Bamberg, D-96047, Germany
This course introduces participants to crisp set and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and its analysis in R. It provides participants with a basic understanding of the analytic underpinnings and steps of QCA, and enables them to independently perform a basic crisp or fuzzy set QCA (Standard Analysis). We will look at the origins, analytic aims, and variants of QCA, and deal in depth with techniques and practices of set calibration. The nuts and bolts the QCA technique, from parameters of fit to all steps of the analyses of necessity and sufficiency, are illustrated based on an empirical example study which we replicate in class. We will then cover the presentation and interpretation of QCA results, as well as ways to deal with limited diversity and other potential pitfalls. Hands-on exercises and daily lab sessions provide opportunities for practice and engagement.

ECPR Methods School: Foundations of set-theoretic and case-oriented methods
2020-02-14 - 2020-02-15 | University of Bamberg, Kapuzinerstraße 16, Bamberg, D-96047, Germany
This course introduces participants to the logic and foundations of case-oriented and set-theoretic methods. We discuss perspectives on causality, case-orientation in empirical social research, and the main features of set-theoretic methods. We will reflect about different types of research questions, evidence and observations, causal complexity, causal effects, causal mechanisms, and context. The course then covers basics of set theory, measurement and set calibration, logical operations, and the logic of necessary and sufficient conditions as set relations. We will apply these notions by looking at different ways of defining, structuring, and operationalizing concepts and cases. We look at different areas of application.

ECPR Seasoned Scholar Workshop: Multi-Method Designs, Case-Oriented and Comparative Methods
2020-02-13 - 2020-02-15 | University of Bamberg, Kapuzinerstraße 16, Bamberg, D-96047, Germany
This Workshop is tailored for scholars with significant research experience beyond their PhD, and organised on a flexible basis to meet specific needs — typically in connection with an ongoing research project they are managing (e.g. troubleshooting, arbitrating between methodological options, fine-tuning some designs, etc. It covers a broad range of case-oriented methods and designs (single case studies, process tracing, ‘thick’ binary comparisons, etc…), comparative methods and designs (small-N comparisons, intermediate-N comparison across multiple cases, Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and neighbouring methods, typology-building, etc.), and ‘mixed’/multi-methods designs combining qualitative, comparative and/or quantitative methods.

International Winter School on Public Policy - Alps Edition 2020: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)
2020-01-06 - 2020-01-10 | Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam, PA, 3062, Netherlands
Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a set-theoretic method for identifying necessary and/or sufficient conditions for outcomes which is increasingly used in comparative policy analysis. Its core advantages lie in modelling causal complexity and enabling systematic comparisons to identify regularities, while integrating case knowledge at all levels of analysis. This course introduces participants to the nuts and bolts of QCA and its implementation using the most powerful currently available software in R. Apart from basic knowledge of empirical social research design and methodology, no particular pre-existing knowledge is required.

3rd International QCA Paper Development Workshop 2019
2019-12-11 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, Zurich, Switzerland
The International QCA Paper Development Workshop 2019 (ETH Zurich, Wednesday/Thursday, 11./12. December 2019) provides a unique platform for researchers working on papers involving QCA to meet QCA experts, get feedback on their on-going research, and learn about the latest methodological developments in QCA. The workshop is interdisciplinary and interactive and allows for in-depth discussions and individual feedback from internationally renowned QCA scholars.
We invite submission of abstracts from researchers applying QCA in various domains (e.g., sociology, political science, management, evaluation studies, international relations, medicine, and health) as well as policy and business consultants using QCA in their work.

7th International QCA Expert Workshop
2019-12-10 - 2019-12-11 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, Zurich, Switzerland
The 7th International QCA Expert Workshop provides a venue for experienced QCA researchers to discuss the latest and most important developments around QCA. The workshop focuses exclusively on methodological and conceptual advances around QCA, not on applications of QCA in empirical research. We expect all participants to actively participate in the program. In order to allow for active participation among researchers with diverse academic backgrounds, the number of participants is limited. If you’re working on a project which you think might fit to the workshop, please contact Johannes Meuer.

The 7th International QCA Expert Workshop will take place after the Paper Development Workshop. Please note that because the Expert Workshop serves a different purpose, targets a different audience, and – for these reasons – is purposefully limited in the number of participants, participation in the 7th International QCA Expert Workshop is by invitation only. If you are applying QCA in one of your research projects, please see the International QCA Paper Development Workshop.

Pre-Conference Workshop on Coincidence Analysis (12th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination & Implementation in Health)
2019-12-04 14:30 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Crystal Gateway Marriott (Arlington, VA), 1700 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, Virginia, 22202
This workshop will introduce Coincidence Analysis (CNA), a relatively new member within the family of Configurational Comparative Methods. CNA is specifically designed to analyze causal complexity, which is common in implementation research. Presenters will discuss the types of studies for which CNA is useful, provide worked examples of applying CNA to datasets, and share practical resources for using CNA. Participants will learn how CNA works through hands-on exercises involving Boolean algebra, the bottom-up algorithm used by CNA and model performance measures like coverage.

Training Day: Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)
2019-10-25 09:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London) | Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research (University of Manchester), Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
Qualitative Comparative Analysis is a systematic method of studying data on multiple comparable cases from about N=8 through to large datasets of N=10,000 etc. The QCA methods firstly involve casing, i.e. delineating cases; secondly organising a systematic data matrix (we will show these in NVIVO and in Excel); thirdly examining sets of cases known as configurations; fourth interpreting these in terms of ‘necessary cause’ and ‘sufficient cause’ of each major outcome of interest. We demonstrate the fsQCA software for QCA. A fuzzy set is a record of the membership score of a case in a characteristic or set. A crisp set is a membership value of 0 (not in the set) or 1 (fully in the set), and thus is a simplified measure compared with a fuzzy set. Fuzzy sets or crisp sets, and combinations can be used in QCA. All the permutations of the causal factors, known as X variates, are considered one by one. We test whether X is necessary, or sufficient, or both, for an outcome Y. We then augment the standard measures of ‘consistency’. We show that one can generate both within-group and sample-wide consistency levels for testing sufficient cause.
This one-day training course will attract those doing case-study research, those doing comparative research, and those who want to extend their skills in fuzzy set analysis from beginner to intermediate levels. It will suit qualitative as well as quantitative and mixed-methods researchers; all are welcome.

Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) in Research on Environment, Conflict, and Peace
2019-10-23 09:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Central European University – Vienna, Quellenstraße 51, Vienna, Wien, 1100, Austria
A training on QCA will be organised by Charles Ragin and Tobias Ide during the First Environmental Peacebuilding Conference (October 23-25, University of California Irvine). The training will be held from 9:00-1:30 at October 23 and provide an introduction to QCA with a focus on applications in the field of environmental security and environmental peacebuilding.

Short Course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis, 23rd Swiss Summer School in Social Science Methods
2019-08-19 - 2019-08-23 | Università della Svizzera Italiana, Via Buffi 13, Lugano, 6900, Switzerland
The course provides participants with a thorough introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), both as a research approach and as a data analysis technique. In recent years, this set-theoretic method has gained recognition among social scientists as a methodological approach that holds specific benefits for comparative studies. The course begins by familiarizing participants with the foundations of set theory and the basic concepts of the methodological approach of QCA, including necessary and sufficient conditions, Boolean algebra, and fuzzy logic. The next step is devoted to the calibration of empirical data into crisp and fuzzy sets. Once these essentials are in place, the course moves on to the construction and analysis of truth tables as the core of the QCA procedure. Here, we will also spend time to discuss typical challenges that arise during a truth table analysis, and techniques to overcome such problems. Finally, the course will introduce consistency and coverage as parameters of fit, as well as additional measures to assess the robustness of QCA results.
Besides the technical introduction of QCA and its variants, the course will provide opportunities to discuss general aspects of comparative research design, including criteria for concept building and case selection, and data-related issues. Participants will be given the opportunity to present their own work and to receive individual feedback on their projects.
Throughout the course, participants will conduct set-theoretic analyses within the R software environment (packages “QCA” and “SetMethods”). The software will be introduced on the first day and used for exercises and examples throughout the course, so that participants gain a level of proficiency that enables them to conduct their own QCA analyses upon the completion of the course. Participants are encouraged to bring their own qualitative and/or quantitative data for course exercises (if available, preliminary data is fine). In addition, datasets from published studies will be made available and used for in-course exercises.
