Microcredential ekomex Advanced Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)

This 5-day online course exposes participants to advanced methodological developments in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) that allow for further solidifying their results, and enables them to apply state-of-the-art set-theoretic analytic tools in R.

What Is This Course About?
This 5-day online course introduces a series of advanced topics in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) that aim at further solidifying and deepening the understanding of the application of this method and the results produced by it. As QCA continues to evolve, the course exposes participants to its latest methodological developments and enables them to apply state-of-the-art set-theoretic analytic tools in R. The course starts by expanding on the problem of limited empirical diversity (i.e., when not all the configurations of conditions in the analysis are represented empirically) and discusses potential strategies for making good counterfactuals assumptions (within the so-called Enhanced Standard Analysis). Throughout the rest of the course, we discuss advanced analytic tools that can be used after a QCA result has been obtained. Among these, we look at set-theoretic robustness and sensitivity checks, we discuss strategies for confronting situations when the data at hand contains clusters that are potentially analytically relevant, we discuss the use of set-theoretic theory-evaluation as a way of assessing theoretical hunches based on the results generated by QCA. Finally, we discuss set-theoretic multi-method research introducing guidelines for combining QCA with process-tracing in single or comparative case studies.

Learning Goals

• Be able to perform enhanced QCA analyses according to the latest developments in terms of standards of good practice.
• Be able to apply the relevant R software packages for analysing social science data with QCA.
• Be able to solidify and enhance standard QCA analyses by a variety of advanced diagnostics and analysis tools.
• Be able to better interpret and theoretically embed QCA results.

Assignments for the Course
Daily assignments (not graded) and a final take-home exercise consisting of the replication of a published QCA study.

Schedule
We plan to do the synchronous elements of the course between the 14:30-17:00 time slot (that means Q&A and synchronous lab 90', and an additional 60’ for office hours). The asynchronous elements of the course, including videos, quizzes, and R exercises would be done by the students themselves in the first half of the day.

Recommended Readings for the Course

• Oana, Ioana-Elena, Carsten Q. Schneider, and Eva Thomann. 2021. Qualitative Comparative Analysis Using R: A Beginner’s Guide. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. 
• Schneider, Carsten Q., and Claudius Wagemann. 2012. Set-Theoretic Methods for the Social Sciences: A Guide to Qualitative Comparative Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Schneider, Carsten Q.. Forthcoming. Set-Theoretic Multi-Method Research: A Guide to Combining QCA and Case Studies. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. 

Who Is Your Instructor?
Ioana-Elena Oana is Assistant Professor (part-time) at the European University Institute (EUI) focusing on comparative politics, political behavior, and public opinion formation. She is the main developer of the R package SetMethods for QCA and has extensive experience in teaching QCA using R at various international methods schools and universities (IQMR, MethodsNET, ECPR, IPSA-Flacso, etc.). She has co-authered the book ‘Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) using R: A Beginner’s Guide’ (Cambridge University Press, 2021, with Carsten Q. Schneider and Eva Thomann) and ‘A Robustness Test Protocol for Applied QCA: Theory and R Software Application’ (Sociological Methods & Research, 2021, with Carsten Q. Schneider).
Website: https://nenaoana.github.io
Twitter: @NenaOana

Carsten Q. Schneider is Professor of Political Science and Pro-Rector for External Relations at Central European University (CEU), Vienna. He is author three books on set-theoretic methods and QCA published with Cambridge University Press in 2012, 2021, and 2023, the latest one entitled ‘Set-Theoretic Methods: Combining QCA and Case Studies’. His articles appeared, among others, in Comparative Political Studies, Democratization, European Journal of Political Research, Political Analysis, Political Research Quarterly, and Sociological Methods and Research. Schneider is the winner of the 2019 David-Collier Mid-Career Achievement Award. From 2009-14, he was an elected member of the German Academy of Young Scientists. Schneider holds a PhD from the European University Institute (EUI).
Website: https://people.ceu.edu/carsten-q_schneider
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsten-q-schneider-b1b80ab/