Navigating the complexities of qualitative comparative analysis: case numbers, necessity relations, and model...

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Evaluation Research
• Policy Analysis

Background:

• Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is increasingly popular for analyzing complex causal relationships.
• Its holistic approach suits theories with conjunctural causation, but technical aspects remain unclear.
• QCA's relative immaturity necessitates a critical examination of its application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight six common pitfalls in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA).
• To address critical aspects including case numbers, necessity relations, and model ambiguities.
• To improve the methodological rigor and reliability of QCA research.

Main Methods:

• Empirical examples from published articles illustrate QCA pitfalls.
• Discussion of appropriate procedures to avoid identified issues.
• Reference to current software solutions for QCA implementation.

Main Results:

• Case numbers are irrelevant to the choice of QCA methodology.
• The concept of necessity in QCA is more complex than often assumed.
• Determinacy of many past QCA results is questionable.

Conclusions:

• QCA has significant potential for analyzing complex dependencies in configurational data.
• Awareness of pitfalls and avoidance of "standard" practices enhance QCA research quality.
• Improved QCA research supports cumulative knowledge generation and informed policy decisions.