Qualitative Comparative Analysis: An Introduction to Research Design and Application

A comprehensive and accessible guide to learning and successfully applying QCA

Social phenomena can rarely be attributed to single causes "• instead, they typically stem from a myriad of interwoven factors that are often difficult to untangle. Drawing on set theory and the language of necessary and sufficient conditions, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is ideally suited to capturing this causal complexity. A case-based research method, QCA regards cases as combinations of conditions and compares the conditions of each case in a structured way to identify the necessary and sufficient conditions for an outcome.