Still Lost in Translation! A Correction of Three Misunderstandings Between Configurational Comparativists and Regressional Analysts

Abstract

Even after a quarter-century of debate in political science and sociology, representatives of configurational comparative methods (CCMs) and those of regressional analytic methods (RAMs) continue talking at cross purposes. In this article, we clear up three fundamental misunderstandings that have been widespread within and between the two communities, namely that (a) CCMs and RAMs use the same logic of inference, (b) the same hypotheses can be associated with one or the other set of methods, and (c) multiplicative RAM interactions and CCM conjunctions constitute the same concept of causal complexity. In providing the first systematic correction of these persistent misapprehensions, we seek to clarify formal differences between CCMs and RAMs. Our objective is to contribute to a more informed debate than has been the case so far, which should eventually lead to progress in dialogue and more accurate appraisals of the possibilities and limits of each set of methods.

Why Do Some Water Utilities Recycle More than Others? A Qualitative Comparative Analysis in New South Wales, Australia

“…Unlike regression which uses linear algebra to quantify the average influence of individual factors on an outcome of interest, QCA applies binary logic and set theory to identify the minimal combinations of conditions that are necessary and/or sufficient for an outcome to occur within the set of cases analyzed. 22,23 QCA has been widely applied in the social sciences 24,25 but only recently to natural resource management. 26,27 To our knowledge, this is the first application of QCA to water reuse/ recycling.…”

Strategy, operations, and profitability: the role of resource orchestration

“…By combining a traditionally qualitative data analysis method with statistical regression analysis, as recommended by Hitt et al (2016) and Thiem et al (2016), a clearer picture is offered as to the role and value of resource orchestration for manufacturing strategy. Thus, this study is better positioned relative to existing studies to establish not only the importance of resource orchestration for performance, but also the form that manufacturing strategy should take for high profitability (i.e., what resource investment and deployment should actually look like) and what manufacturing strategy should not look like (i.e., in the absence of profitability).…”

“…Thiem et al (2016) argue that regression-based methods and comparative configurational methods should not be seen as substitutes. Rather, both ought to be leveraged for their own strengths to create analytical insights into the problem at hand.…”

Do Labour Rights Matter for Export? A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Pineapple Trade to the EU

“…The QCA method focuses on relations of implication (absence or presence of conditions), while in regression models the causation is assumed to be linear, testing hypotheses about relations of covariation or correlation between the independent and dependent variables (Katz, Vom Hau, & Mahoney, 2005;Thiem, Baumgartner, & Bol, 2016).…”