Standards of Good Practice in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Fuzzy-Sets

Abstract

As a relatively new methodological tool, QCA is still a work in progress. Standards of good practice are needed in order to enhance the quality of its applications. We present a list from A to Z of twenty-six proposals regarding what a “good” QCA-based research entails, both with regard to QCA as a research approach and as an analytical technique. Our suggestions are subdivided into three categories: criteria referring to the research stages before, during, and after the analytical moment of data analysis. This listing can be read as a guideline for authors, reviewers, and readers of QCA.

Determining Factors for Economic Efficiency in the Organic Olive Oil Sector

“…Thus, this methodology enables a set of cases to be analysed systematically to determine causal patterns in the form of necessity and sufficiency relations between a set of conditions and a result [57]. The main developments of this method are the so-called Crisp Sets (csQCA), Fuzzy Sets (fsQCA) and Multivalue Sets (mvQCA) [58].…”

Councils of the Judiciary and Judges’ Perceptions of Respect to Their Independence in Europe

“…Additionally, the epistemological assumptions of QCA are especially apt to understand complex causation and the interaction between explanatory conditions, and turned out to be very useful in analyzing a meso level object of study such as the Councils of the Judiciary scrutinised by this article. While the usual space constraints prevent this section from explaining in detail the functioning of QCA, it will provide for clarification of key concepts and justification of the modalities of analysis and operationalisation of the conditions used, in line with the best practices in the use of the methodology (Schneider and Wagemann 2010). Readers wishing to learn more about QCA will find many handbooks and user guides about this set of techniques especially useful (inter alia, Rihoux and Ragin 2009a; Schneider and Wagemann 2012).…”

The Qualitative-Quantitative ‘Disparities’ in Social Science Research: What Does Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) Brings in to Bridge the Gap?

“…The reversed arrow in the logical statement however, does not mean a reverse of the relationship. Rather, it just denotes a logical implication (Schneider & Wagemann, 2010) that wherever we find U we will also find the (combined) condition E.J.I.S.P which is necessary for the outcome U. In the third statement, any of the three conditions can cause U.…”