Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)

Date: 2019 August 19-23

Place: Università della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano, Switzerland)

Description: The course provides participants with a thorough introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), both as a research approach and as a data analysis technique. In recent years, this set-theoretic method has gained recognition among social scientists as a methodological approach that holds specific benefits for comparative studies. The course begins by familiarizing participants with the foundations of set theory and the basic concepts of the methodological approach of QCA, including necessary and sufficient conditions, Boolean algebra, and fuzzy logic. The next step is devoted to the calibration of empirical data into crisp and fuzzy sets. Once these essentials are in place, the course moves on to the construction and analysis of truth tables as the core of the QCA procedure. Here, we will also spend time to discuss typical challenges that arise during a truth table analysis, and techniques to overcome such problems. Finally, the course will introduce consistency and coverage as parameters of fit, as well as additional measures to assess the robustness of QCA results.

Besides the technical introduction of QCA and its variants, the course will provide opportunities to discuss general aspects of comparative research design, including criteria for concept building and case selection, and data-related issues. Participants will be given the opportunity to present their own work and to receive individual feedback on their projects.

Throughout the course, participants will conduct set-theoretic analyses within the R software environment (packages "QCA" and "SetMethods"). The software will be introduced on the first day and used for exercises and examples throughout the course, so that participants gain a level of proficiency that enables them to conduct their own QCA analyses upon the completion of the course. Participants are encouraged to bring their own qualitative and/or quantitative data for course exercises (if available, preliminary data is fine). In addition, datasets from published studies will be made available and used for in-course exercises.

Fees: reduced fee (for students) = 700 CHF; normal fee = 1100 CHF

Instructors: Patrick A. Mello, University of Erfurt

Link: Course details

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Date: 2019 June 17-19

Place: University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA)

Description: QCA can be used to answer any research question if one is interested in analyzing patterns of necessity and sufficiency in a group of cases ranging from a handful to many thousands. The method is now widely used in different disciplines including political science, sociology, public administration, public health, medical research, organization and management research.

The course introduces participants to the principles and techniques of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) on a methodological and an applied dimension using RStudio. At the end of the course, participants will be familiar with the key elements of a QCA study and know how to read, criticize and implement an empirical analysis.

Fees: Members = $1500; Non-members = $2800

Instructors: Ingo Rohlfing, University of Cologne

Link: Course details

Title: Designing Research with Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)

Date: 10-14 June 2019 (20 hours)

Place: University of Exeter - Penryn Campus, Cornwall (United Kingdom)

Description: This module introduces you to the nuts and bolts of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), an innovative set-theoretic technique that allows for comparisons of small, intermediate or large numbers of cases in order to identify necessary and / or sufficient conditions for an outcome. It is an attractive method for scholars who seek to model causally complex patterns and integrate in-depth case knowledge at all stages of the analysis. We will introduce you to performing QCA with the freely available R software using the user-friendly RStudio environment.

• QCA: Origin, variants, uses and approaches
• Set theory and causal complexity
• Defining, structuring, measuring and calibrating concepts as sets
• Analyses of necessity and sufficiency
• Truth tables, limited diversity and counterfactual reasoning
• Conservative, intermediate and parsimonious solution types
• Set-theoretic multi-method research
• Potential pitfalls (skewed data, model ambiguities, robustness, etc.)

Fees: Participants from within UK: Early bird fee £300 (until 15.3.2019), regular fee £350. International participants: Early bird fee £550 (until 15.3.2019), regular fee £600. The fee includes a non-refundable sign-up deposit of £50.

Instructors: Eva Thomann (University of Exeter)

Link: Course details

Title: Comparative Case Study Design

Date: 3-7 June 2019 (20 hours)

Place: University of Exeter - Penryn Campus, Cornwall (United Kingdom)

Description: Description: This module provides you with the skills needed to design your qualitative case study research. It covers concept formation, casing and case selection, logics and strategies of comparison, accounting for context and time, data collection strategies, and both conceptual and research-practical issues such as limited diversity, Galton’s problem, conceptual stretching, and thinking about scope conditions. In the lab sessions, we will work extensively with you on your own research projects.

• The logic and goals of qualitative comparative case study research
• Defining, structuring and measuring social science concepts and typologies
• Casing: what is a case? What is context?
• Case selection and scope conditions
• Logics and techniques of comparison across time and space

Fees: Participants from within UK: Early bird fee £300 (until 15.3.2019), regular fee £350. International participants: Early bird fee £550 (until 15.3.2019), regular fee £600. The fee includes a non-refundable sign-up deposit of £50.

Instructors: Eva Thomann (University of Exeter)

Link: Course details

Title: Intermediate-level QCA Doctoral Course

Date: 22 & 23 May 2019

Place: University of Antwerp (Antwerp, Belgium)

Description: Alongside the 2nd International QCA Summer Workshops, two parallel, two-day (22-23 May) modular doctoral courses will be offered: an Introduction to QCA doctoral course for participants with no prior QCA training, and an Intermediate-level QCA doctoral course for participants with some prior level of QCA training or practice.

Fees: €280 (Early bird, before 25 Feb: €200; Sponsor: €100)

Instructors: Benoît Rihoux (UCLouvain), Lasse Cronqvist (University of Trier)

Link: 2nd International QCA Summer Workshops (Details, Calls, and Registration); International QCA Workshops

Title: Introduction to QCA Doctoral Course

Date: 22 & 23 May 2019

Place: University of Antwerp (Antwerp, Belgium)

Description: Alongside the 2nd International QCA Summer Workshops, two parallel, two-day (22-23 May) modular doctoral courses will be offered: an Introduction to QCA doctoral course for participants with no prior QCA training, and an Intermediate-level QCA doctoral course for participants with some prior level of QCA training or practice.

Fees: €340 (Early bird, before Feb 25: €250; Sponsor: €100)

Instructors: Carsten Schneider (Central European University), Ioana-Elena Oana (Central European University)

Link: 2nd International QCA Summer Workshops (Details, Calls, and Registration); International QCA Workshops

Date: March 28-30, 2019, 10am-4pm each day

Place: University of California, Irvine

Description: The goal of this workshop is to provide a ground-up introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and fuzzy sets. Participants will get intensive instruction and hands-on experience with the fsQCA software package and on completion should be prepared to design and execute research projects using the set-theoretic approach.

Fees: $375 ($175 for students)

Instructors: Instructors: Charles Ragin (UCI) and Peer Fiss (USC)

Link: Register at www.fsqca.com. Questions? Contact: fsqca2019@gmail.com. Flyer

Title: Introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)

Date: 25 February - 1 March 2019 (15 hours)

Place: University of Bamberg, Bamberg (Germany)

Description: This course introduces participants to crisp set and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and its analysis in R using the interactive graphical interface of the package “QCA”. It provides participants with a basic understanding of the analytic underpinnings and steps of QCA, and enables them to independently perform a basic crisp or fuzzy set QCA (Standard Analysis). We will look at the origins, analytic aims, and variants of QCA, and deal in depth with techniques and practices of set calibration. The nuts and bolts the QCA technique, from parameters of fit to all steps of the analyses of necessity and sufficiency, are illustrated based on an empirical example study which we replicate in class. We will then cover the presentation and interpretation of QCA results, as well as ways to deal with limited diversity and other potential pitfalls. Hands-on exercises and daily lab sessions provide opportunities for practice and engagement.

Fees: ECPR members: €510. (early bird)/ €600. Non-members: €895. See fee structure at https://ecpr.eu/Events/Content.aspx?ID=578&EventID=127

Instructors: Eva Thomann (University of Exeter)

Link: Course details

Title: Advanced Topics in Set-Theoretic Methods and QCA

Date: 22 February – 1 March 2019

Place: University of Bamberg, Germany

Description: This course addresses advanced issues that arise if and when scholars embrace notions of sets and their relations. While it is a course about set-theoretic methods writ large, most of the time, we will discuss issues that are specific to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). Although much effort has been put into developing standards of good practice, still many important issues remain unresolved, and even sometimes unaddressed. This has given rise to a recent wave of literature skeptical of set-methods, in general, and QCA, in particular. In this course, we not only discuss the issues raised by theses critiques, but go beyond them and explore the hitherto under-used potentials of set-theoretic methods. We will try and address all of the following topics but depending on needs and interests of participants, we can put more emphasis on some: set-theoretic multi-method research; robustness and sensitivity; set-theoretic theory evaluation; enhanced Standard Analysis; data structures and set-theoretic methods, including temporal ordering and two-step QCA; model ambiguity; and/or multi-value QCA.

Fees: €600 (ECPR Members), €895 (non-ECPR members); + possibility of early bird discount (-15% until 28 Oct) and loyalty discount (-€50); + cheaper option via a ‘package’ also including a short preparatory course

Instructors: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)

Link: https://ecpr.eu/Events/PanelDetails.aspx?PanelID=8397&EventID=127 – course WD204 (general Winter School page: https://ecpr.eu/Events/EventDetails.aspx?EventID=127)

Title: Comparative Research Designs

Date: 22 February - 1 March 2019

Place: University of Bamberg, Germany

Description: The purpose of this course is to provide training on all aspects that enable a researcher to conceive and conduct the most appropriate comparative research design – the latter broadly defined as any research enterprise that comprises at least two ‘cases’ or units of analysis. On the one hand, the course will cover fundamental questions ‘upstream’ of practical and hands-on choices: what is comparison? Why compare; what is the added value of comparison? What should be the ‘mindset’ of a good comparative researcher? What is the link between a research puzzle and the choice for a comparative research design? What would be the alternative(s)? At which level(s) should the ‘cases’ be envisaged? Etc. On the other hand, the practicalities of different types of comparative research designs will be examined in detail, by following all the hands-on steps: (1) prior arbitrations and ‘casing’, i.e. the definition of the cases; (2) case selection, through more basic or more advanced strategies; (3) collecting and managing comparative data; (4) comparative data analysis (qualitative, QCA and quantitative options). Lectures and interactive sessions alternate, with ample time for questions/answers, open discussions, and ‘solution-finding’ for the participants’ individual projects.

Fees: €600 (ECPR Members), €895 (non-ECPR members); + possibility of early bird discount (-15% until 28 Oct) and loyalty discount (-€50); + cheaper option via a ‘package’ also including a short preparatory course

Instructors: Benoît Rihoux (UCLouvain)

Link: https://ecpr.eu/Events/PanelDetails.aspx?PanelID=8336&EventID=127 – course WB102 (general Winter School page: https://ecpr.eu/Events/EventDetails.aspx?EventID=127)

Title: Foundations of case-oriented and set-theoretic thinking and methodology

Date: 22-23 February 2019 (10.5 hours)

Place: University of Bamberg, Bamberg (Germany)

Description: This course introduces participants to the logic and basics of case-oriented and set-theoretic methods. It will be particularly useful (and, for QCA, mandatory) to prepare you for the main courses on process tracing, comparative case study design, and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). We will start by reflecting about different types of research questions, evidence and observations, causal effects and causal mechanisms. The course then covers basics of set theory, sets, set calibration, and logical operations. We will discuss different perspectives on causation (probabilistic versus deterministic, symmetric versus asymmetric, causal complexity, context) and the logic of necessary and sufficient conditions. We will apply these notions by looking at different ways of defining, structuring, and operationalizing social science concepts.

Fees: ECPR members: €235 (early bird)/ €280. Non-members: €420. See fee structure at https://ecpr.eu/Events/Content.aspx?ID=578&EventID=127

Instructors: Eva Thomann (University of Exeter)

Link: Course details

Title: Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)

Date: 1 Oct 2018

Place: University of Manchester, Manchester, England

Description: Qualitative Comparative Analysis is a systematic method of studying data on multiple comparable cases from about N=8 through to large datasets of N=10,000 etc. The QCA methods firstly involve casing, i.e. delineating cases; secondly organising a systematic data matrix (we will show these in NVIVO and in Excel); thirdly examining sets of cases known as configurations; fourth interpreting these in terms of ‘necessary cause’ and ‘sufficient cause’ of each major outcome of interest. We demonstrate the fsQCA software for QCA. A fuzzy set is a record of the membership score of a case in a characteristic or set. A crisp set is a membership value of 0 (not in the set) or 1 (fully in the set), and thus is a simplified measure compared with a fuzzy set. Fuzzy sets or crisp sets, and combinations can be used in QCA. All the permutations of the causal factors, known as X variates, are considered one by one. We test whether X is necessary, or sufficient, or both, for an outcome Y. We then augment the standard measures of ‘consistency’. We show that one can generate both within-group and sample-wide consistency levels for testing sufficient cause. This one-day training course will attract those doing case-study research, those doing comparative research, and those who want to extend their skills in fuzzy set analysis from beginner to intermediate levels. It will suit qualitative as well as quantitative and mixed-methods researchers; all are welcome.

Fees: £195 (£140 for those from educational, government and charitable institutions)

Instructors: Wendy Olsen

Link: Course details

Title: Comparative Research Design: Globalisation, Talent Mobility, Challenges to the Welfare State and Innovative Solutions

Date: 2018 Aug 28 – Sept 4

Place: SDC Yangquhu Campus, Beijing, China

Description: This course aims to provide PhD students with an in depth introduction to the basic elements of comparative research design at the doctoral level. The course goes beyond that of a sole methodological course by applying methods to practice through separate modules educating participants on issues of strategic importance for Denmark’s current and future academic, economic and political relationship with China. The modules will focus on globalization, talent mobility, challenges to the welfare state and demographic trends, while keeping academic focus on available methods and elaborating on comparative research methods that will allow the PhD students to strengthen and apply comparative research methods in their thesis. The PhD course will include exploratory, interactive workshops reflecting existing SDC funded projects, which will further build on the strengths of the SDC faculty and associates.

Fees: None. (Travel grants available for students enrolled at Danish universities, contact Shahamak Rezaei at shre@ruc.dk.)

Link: Course details

Title: Identifying critical success factors of ergonomics programs. Necessary condition analysis (NCA) and its application to Prevention and Management of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders

Date: To be determined: 26-30 August, 2018

Place: Palazzo dei Congressi, Florence, Italy

Description: The first part is a theoretical lecture on NCA, demonstrating the application and practice of NCA. The second part is on the application of NCA in the field of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). The third part presents the findings from a study that applied NCA and two qualitative analysis to identify necessary conditions for successful outcomes for the prevention and management of WMSDs.

Fees: None (part of IEA 2018)

Instructors: Jean Mangharam (WorkSafe WA, Perth, Australia) and Jan Dul (Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Netherlands)

Link: Course details

Title: Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA): Logic, Theory, Methodology, and Applications

Date: To be determined: 10 or 11 of August 2018

Place: Chicago, Ilinois, USA

Description: Part 1: The logic of necessary conditions and comparison with conventional additive logic (e.g., regression). Part 2: Application of NCA in theory building and testing (including use of NCA software)

Fees: None (part of Academy of Management Annual Conference)

Instructors: Jan Dul, Stefan Breet, Henk van Rhee (Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University)

Link: Course details

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets

Date: 30 July – 10 August 2018 (30 hours)

Place: Central European University, Budapest (Hungary)

Description: This course introduces participants to set-theoretic methods and their application in the social sciences with a focus on Qualitative Comparative Analysis. The introductory course is complemented by an advanced course that is taught at the ECPR Winter School in Bamberg. The course starts out by familiarizing students with the basic concepts of the underlying methodological perspective, among them the central notions of necessity and sufficiency, formal logic and Boolean algebra. From there, we move to the logic and analysis of truth tables and discuss the most important problems that emerge when this analytical tool is used for exploring social science data. Right from the beginning, students will be exposed to performing set-theoretic analyses with the relevant R software packages. When discussing set-theoretic methods, in-class debates will engage on broad, general comparative social research issues, such as case selection principles, concept formation, questions of data aggregation and the treatment of causally relevant notions of time. Examples are drawn from published applications in the social sciences. Participants are encouraged to bring their own raw data for in-class exercises and assignments, if available.

Fees: 944 € (with early bird + loyalty discount), 994 € (with early bird discount), 1170 € (ECPR members), etc. – see fee structure at https://ecpr.eu/Events/Content.aspx?ID=531&EventID=125 ['early bird' discount until 20 April]

Instructors: Ioana-Elena Oana (Central European University) and Carsten Schneider (Central European University)

Link: Course details

Title: Case Study Research: Method and Practice

Date: 30 July – 10 August 2018 (30 hours)

Place: Central European University, Budapest (Hungary)

Description: This course approaches qualitative case studies from the perspective of method and practice. The goal is to understand the advantages and challenges of the case study method and to detail the tasks involved in all stages of the research process. The course has three interrelated components (see day-to-day schedule). First, the lecture/seminar segments introduce a specific topic on a basic and advanced level. Second, “lab sessions” give the participants the opportunity to apply the new insights to their own project; this is achieved by discussions about the participants’ projects in small groups and among the entire class. Third, the assignment portion involves in-class discussions of short assignments (simple methodological questions) related to the participants studies and published case studies from different fields within political science. This helps developing an idea about how case studies are presented and done in empirical research. At the end of the course, participants will be able to implement sound case studies and to critically evaluate published research. The course also covers comparative case studies, advanced issues in comparison, causal inference and generalization.

Fees: 944 € (with early bird + loyalty discount), 994 € (with early bird discount), 1170 € (ECPR members), etc. – see fee structure at https://ecpr.eu/Events/Content.aspx?ID=531&EventID=125 ['early bird' discount until 20 April]

Instructors: Ingo Rohlfing (University of Cologne)

Link: Course details

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)

Date: 30 July – 03 August 2018

Place: National Research University Higher School of Economics Pushkin, St. Petersburg

Description: This workshop offers a comprehensive and application-oriented introduction into Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). The topics of in this workshop will mainly focus on the following three aspects: (1) QCA as a set-theoretic approach to study social phenomena; (2) state-of-the-art application of key analytic steps to run a QCA in RStudio; (3) nesting case studies and QCA, and further innovative designs. In detail, the workshop starts from basic notions of QCA and its core foundations of set-theory, configurational thinking, diversity- and case-orientation. In a next step, we further elaborate on the idea of sets to operationalize concepts (calibration) and discuss different strategies for constructing sets from various forms of data. Following this, we will go through the main steps in the analytic protocol of QCA, i.e. checking for necessary and sufficient (combinations of) conditions. In doing so, we will highlight common pitfalls which might occur during an analysis, discuss strategies how to deal with them based on both methodological advices and best practices, and lastly summarize some core guidelines for applying QCA. Finally, we will discuss how to properly conduct multimethod research combining QCA and case studies as well as other advanced research designs. The workshop is highly interactive and application-oriented combining lectures and practical software sessions using example from peer-reviewed journals.

Fees: $300 for BA, MA & PhD; $400 for senior researchers ($350 early bird); see also http://ipsa-hse-school.org

Instructors: Markus B. Siewert (Goethe University Frankfurt)

Link: Course details

Title: Seasoned Scholars Workshop: Multi-Method Designs, Case-oriented and Comparative Methods

Date: 26–28 July 2018 (15 hours)

Place: Central European University, Budapest (Hungary)

Description: This workshop, tailored for scholars with significant research experience beyond the PhD and organised on a flexible basis to meet their specific needs, covers a broad range of case-oriented methods and designs (single case studies, process tracing, 'thick' binary comparisons, etc...), comparative methods and designs (small-N comparisons, intermediate-N comparison across multiple cases, Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and neighbouring methods, typology-building, etc...), and 'mixed'/multi-methods designs combining qualitative, comparative and/or quantitative methods. Also attached to the workshop is a full 'package' of services (upstream & downstream from the workshop) from March to October 2018.

Fees: 2000 € (ECPR members), 3000 € (non-ECPR members) – see fee structure at https://ecpr.eu/Events/Content.aspx?ID=531&EventID=125

Instructors: Benoît Rihoux (UCLouvain)

Link: Course details

Title: Mixed Methods: Introduction and Specific Methods

Date: 3 July 2018, 10:00 - 12:30

Place: Bath, UK

Description: This session begins with an overview of mixed methods epistemology and ontology, introducing triangulation and essential features of entities.A question-and-answer session follows. Next we have one presentation on a specific mixed-methods qualitative approach by the experienced community researcher, Punita Chowbey. Thirdly, Dr. Thomson and Prof. Olsen present qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), a systematic approach to tabulating and analysing case-study data. The QCA method also extends into fuzzy-set analysis where ordinal variables are recorded as fuzzy sets. In both QCA and fuzzy methods, we analyse causality in innovative ways. This presentation is at the advanced level, assuming some prior familiarity either with mixed methods studies of causality, or with QCA or fuzzy sets. You can sign up for any of the four elements, and there will be a coffee break from 11.00 - 11.30

Fees: TBA

Convenor: Wendy Olsen (University of Manchester, Cathie Marsh Institute)

Link: Research Festival website

Date: 2 July 2018

Place: Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Netherlands

Description: In this 1 day hands-on course you will gain an understanding of the logic of necessary conditions, and why these are important for social science and practice. You will be able to identify necessary conditions in an (own) dataset.

Fees: €250

Instructors: Jan Dul (Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Netherlands)

Link: Course details

Title: Necessary Condition Analysis: Theory and applications

Date: 18 June 2018 (TED talk), 19 June 2018 (workshops)

Place: Reykjavik, Iceland

Description: Introduction to NCA. Theory building and testing with NCA (including software demonstration). Publishing NCA papers.

Fees: None (part of the EURAM conference)

Instructors: Jan Dul (Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University)

Link: Course details

Title: Comparative research designs and comparative methods

Date: 4–15 June 2018

Place: Flacso México

Description: This course provides an introduction and overview of systematic comparative analyses in social sciences and shows how to implement this method for constructive explanation and theory building.

It begins with comparisons of very few cases and specific “most similar” and “most different” research designs. A major part of the course is devoted to the often occurring situation of dealing with a small number of highly complex cases, e.g., when comparing Latin American political systems or particular policy areas.

New approaches and softwares have been developed in recent years (“Qualitative Comparative Analysis”, QCA, and related methods), which are able to reduce complexity and to arrive at “configurational” solutions based on set theory and Boolean algebra, which are more meaningful in this context than the usual broad-based statistical methods.

In a last section more common statistical comparative methods at the macro-level of states or societies are presented and the respective strengths and weaknesses discussed. Participants are strongly encouraged to present their own research problems and data, if available.

Some basic quantitative or qualitative methodological training is probably useful to get more out of the course, but participants with little methodological training should find no major obstacles to follow.

Fees: U.S. $640 ($400 for students)

Instructors: Dirk Berg-Schlosser (Philipps University Marburg/Germany)

Link: Course details

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Date: 4-6 June 2018

Place: University of Michigan, USA

Description: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a method that has become part of the toolbox in disciplines such as political science, sociology, public administration and organization and management studies. QCA can be used to answer any research question if one is interested in analyzing patterns of necessity and sufficiency in a group of cases, ranging from a handful to many thousands. This course introduces participants to the principles and techniques of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) on a methodological and an applied dimension. At the end of the course, participants will be familiar with the key elements of a QCA study and know how to read, criticize, and implement an empirical analysis.

Fees: Members = $1500; Non-members = $2800

Instructors: Ingo Rohlfing

Link: Course details

Title: Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) – Ein neuer Blick auf Kausalität und Datenanalyse (in German)

Date: 23 May 2018

Place: Magdeburg University (Magdeburg, Germany)

Description: Introduction of NCA.

Fees: None

Instructors: Sven Hauff (Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg)

Link: Course details

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets

Date: 3 May 2018

Place: Reading, UK

Description: Social scientists often face a trade-off between identifying regularities among cases and accounting for the complexity of social reality. Achieving more "breadth" often comes at the cost of the "depth" of analysis. Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a technique that combines elements of both. QCA enables a systematic, context-sensitive comparison of intermediate (ca. >10) up to large numbers of cases, which is enriched with in-depth case knowledge. As such it helps researchers to model several aspects of causal complexity, such as equifinality – meaning that many ways may lead to Rome – and the configurational nature of cases, for example intersectionality and contextually contingent patterns. Rather than focusing on isolated net effects, QCA if identifies necessary and sufficient conditions for an outcome. This makes it attractive for researchers interested in finding prerequisites for a given phenomenon, or the conditions under which outcomes (such as compliance, successful revolutions, democratic consolidation, etc.) come about.

Fees: £150 (£125+VAT @20%) or for students £120 (£100+VAT @20%) currently enrolled on a university course (student number may be needed)

Convenor: Eva Thomann (University of Exeter, Department of Politics)

Link: Course details

Title: SoCal QCA Workshop

Date: 29–31 March 2018

Place: University of California, Irvine (USA)

Description: The goal of this workshop is to provide a ground-up introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and fuzzy sets. Participants will get intensive instruction and hands-on experience with the fsQCA software package and on completion should be prepared to design and execute research projects using the set-theoretic approach.

Fees: $350 faculty; $150 students

Instructors: Charles Ragin (University of California, Irvine) and Peer Fiss (University of Souther California)

Link: Course details and registration

Title: Comparative Research Designs

Date: 5–9 March 2018

Place: University of Bamberg, Germany

Description: The purpose of this course is to provide training on all aspects that enable a researcher to conceive and conduct the most appropriate comparative research design – the latter broadly defined as any research enterprise that comprises at least two ‘cases’ or observations. On the one hand, the course will cover fundamental questions ‘upstream’ of practical and hands-on choices: what is comparison? Why compare; what is the added value of comparison? What should be the ‘mindset’ of a good comparative researcher? What is the link between a research puzzle and the choice for a comparative research design? What would be the alternative(s)? At which level(s) should the ‘cases’ be envisaged? etc. On the other hand, the practicalities of different types of comparative research designs will be examined in detail, by following all the hands-on steps: (1) prior arbitrations and ‘casing’, i.e. the definition of the cases; (2) case selection, through more basic or more advanced strategies; (3) collecting and managing comparative data; (4) comparative data analysis. A short introductory module on QCA (as part of a comparative research design), both as an approach and a set of techniques, is also provided. Lectures and interactive sessions alternate, with ample time for questions/answers, open discussions, and ‘solution-finding’ for the participants’ individual projects.

Fees: €585 (ECPR Members), €877 (non-ECPR members); + possibility of early bird discount (-15% until 3 Nov 2017) and loyalty discount (-€50); + cheaper option via a 'package' also including a short preparatory course

Instructors: Benoît Rihoux (Université catholique de Louvain)

Link: Course details — course WB102 (general Winter School page)

Title: Advanced Topics in Set-Theoretic Methods and QCA

Date: 5–9 March 2018

Place: University of Bamberg, Germany

Description: This course addresses advanced issues that arise if and when scholars embrace notions of sets and their relations. While it is a course about set-theoretic methods writ large, most of the time, we will discuss issues that are specific to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). Although much effort has been put into developing standards of good practice, still many important issues remain unresolved, and even sometimes unaddressed. This has given rise to a recent wave of literature sceptical of set-methods, in general, and QCA, in particular. In this course we not only discuss the issues raised by theses critiques, but go beyond them and explore the hitherto under-used potentials of set-theoretic methods. Depending on needs and interests of participants, we choose among the following topics: set-theoretic multi-method research; robustness and uncertainty; set-theoretic theory evaluation; enhanced Standard Analysis; time and set-theoretic methods; model ambiguity; and/or two-step QCA.

Fees: €585 (ECPR Members), €877 (non-ECPR members); + possibility of early bird discount (-15% until 3 Nov 2017) and loyalty discount (-€50); + cheaper option via a 'package' also including a short preparatory course

Instructors: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)

Link: Course details — course WD204 (general Winter School page)

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Date: 22–24 January 2018

Place: McGill University, Montréal, Canada

Description: The purpose of this intensive three day workshop is to provide a full introductory-to-intermediate training in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). QCA will be examined both as a research approach and as a set of techniques. (…) As a set of techniques, we will provide training in all main QCA options: crisp-set QCA (csQCA), mvQCA (multi-value QCA) and fsQCA (fuzzy-set QCA) as well as their different uses, from typology building to theory testing and theory elaboration. We will use several datasets from published applications, and have participants replicate "hands-on" these empirical applications, through all the technical steps and arbitrations, using different software options such as TOSMANA, FS/QCA and the 'QCA' R package. Participants are also most welcome to bring some of their own data. We will also examine different forms of 'mixed methods' or 'multi-method' options, combining QCA with qualitative and/or quantitative (statistical) techniques.

Fees: 275 Canadian $ (first come, first serve; course capped at 15 participants)

Instructors: Benoît Rihoux and Priscilla Álamos-Concha (UCLouvain)

Link: Course details

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Date: 4–6 January 2018

Place: University of Arizona, Tucson, USA

Description: Invented by Charles Ragin in the late 1980s, QCA offers an alternative to conventional statistical methods based on the analysis of set-theoretic relationships and is suitable for small-, medium-, and large-N studies. This workshop will describe the method, examine its strengths and weaknesses, discuss recent developments and extensions, suggest best practices for conducting and presenting QCA, and recommend resources for further study. Software for conducting QCA will be reviewed and demonstrated. This workshop is designed both for novices and those with previous QCA experience. Participants are asked to bring their laptop (Windows, Mac, or Linux/Unix). Those currently working on a QCA project are encouraged to also bring their dataset; time will be reserved for discussing these projects and working with the software.

Fees: $50USD registration + $400USD (50% discount for graduate students; discount for multiple courses)

Instructors: Claude Rubinson (University of Houston—Downtown)

Link: Course details

Title: Necessary Conditions Analysis

Date: 28 November 2017

Place: University of Oxford, UK

Description: The logic of NCA, The data analysis approach of NCA, Statistical inference with NCA

Fees: This seminar is for University of Oxford staff and students. Others, please contact Zsofia Toth

Instructors: Zsofia Toth (Nottingham University Business School) and Jan Dul (Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University)

Title: Necessary Conditions Analysis

Date: 27 October 2017

Place: University of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C., USA

Description: The logic of NCA, The data analysis approach of NCA, and How to publish papers with NCA.

Fees: Free with registration to the conference

Instructors: Jan Dul (Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University)

Link: Conference website

Title: Necessary Conditions Analysis

Date: 26 October 2017

Place: George Washington University, Washington D.C., USA

Description: The logic of NCA, The data analysis approach of NCA, and How to publish papers with NCA.

Fees: None

Instructors: Jan Dul (Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University)

Link: Course details

Title: Innovations in Integrated Mixed Methods for the Study of Labour Supply and Gender: Doing it Differently with Data!

Date: 20 October 2017

Place: University of Manchester, UK

Description: In the morning we have demonstrations of three new methods mixtures. To study "keyness" is our first mixture. Keyness measures how 'key' a word in to a particular text. We use a count-and-match statistical method for a small corpus of data, then use discourse analysis. Our second method is a statistical F test of a Boolean truth table with fuzzy sets. Thirdly we explore how measurement error can bias and ruin a regression result. This leads us to promote the validation of measurement through in-depth methods. The afternoon has three speakers applying mixed methods to international comparative data.

Fees: see link below. 10 bursaries awarded after 5 October

Instructors: Wendy Olsen (University of Manchester) and guest speakers

Link: Course details

Title: Configurational Research with Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Coincidence Analysis (CNA)

Date: 25-29 September, 2017

Place:Indianapolis, Indiana (USA)

Description: This seminar offers an intensive 5-day introduction for health researchers to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Coincidence Analysis (CNA) - the two most prominent configurational comparative methods (CCMs) of causal discovery. Participants will be guided through the nuts and bolts of configurational comparative data analysis as well as cutting-edge methodological innovations. In replicating published studies from various areas of the health sciences, they will also learn how to make the most of current software for QCA and CNA.

Fees: $550–$750USD

Instructors: Michael Baumgartner (University of Geneva), Alrik Thiem (University of Geneva)

Link: Course details

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Date: 28 Aug-01 Sep 2017

Place: University of Ljubljana

Description: One week course on QCA and fuzzy sets.

Fees: 900CHF (Early bird discount -150 CHF through 30 Apr)

Instructors: Charles C. Ragin

Link: Course details

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets

Date: 31 July - 11 August 2017 (30 hours)

Place: Central European University, Budapest (Hungary)

Description: This course introduces participants to set-theoretic methods and their application in the social sciences with a focus on Qualitative Comparative Analysis. The introductory course is complemented by an advanced course that is taught at the ECPR Winter School in Bamberg. The course starts out by familiarizing students with the basic concepts of the underlying methodological perspective, among them the central notions of necessity and sufficiency, formal logic and Boolean algebra. From there, we move to the logic and analysis of truth tables and discuss the most important problems that emerge when this analytical tool is used for exploring social science data. Right from the beginning, students will be exposed to performing set-theoretic analyses with the relevant R software packages. When discussing set-theoretic methods, in-class debates will engage on broad, general comparative social research issues, such as case selection principles, concept formation, questions of data aggregation and the treatment of causally relevant notions of time. Examples are drawn from published applications in the social sciences. Participants are encouraged to bring their own raw data for in-class exercises and assignments, if available.

Fees: 945 € (with early bird + loyalty discount), 995 € (with early bird discount), 1170 € (ECPR members), etc. – see fee structure at https://ecpr.eu/Events/Content.aspx?ID=416&EventID=116. (Early bird discount until 21 April)

Instructors: Patrick A. Mello (Technical University of Munich) and Carsten Schneider (Central European University)

Link: Course details

Title: Case Study Research: Method and Practice

Date: 31 July - 11 August 2017 (30 hours)

Place: Central European University, Budapest (Hungary)

Description: This course approaches qualitative case studies from the perspective of method and practice. The goal is to understand the advantages and challenges of the case study method and to detail the tasks involved in all stages of the research process. The course has three interrelated components (see day-to-day schedule). First, the lecture/seminar segments introduce a specific topic on a basic and advanced level. Second, “lab sessions” give the participants the opportunity to apply the new insights to their own project; this is achieved by discussions about the participants’ projects in small groups and among the entire class. Third, the assignment portion involves in-class discussions of short assignments (simple methodological questions) related to the participants studies and published case studies from different fields within political science. This helps developing an idea about how case studies are presented and done in empirical research. At the end of the course, participants will be able to implement sound case studies and to critically evaluate published research. The course also covers comparative case studies, advanced issues in comparison, causal inference and generalization.

Fees: 945 € (with early bird + loyalty discount), 995 € (with early bird discount), 1170 € (ECPR members), etc. – see fee structure at https://ecpr.eu/Events/Content.aspx?ID=416&EventID=116. (Early bird discount until 21 April)

Instructors: Ingo Rohlfing (University of Cologne)

Link: Course details

Title: Seasoned Scholar à la carte workshop: qualitative, interpretive, case-oriented and comparative methods

Date: 27-29 July 2017 (15 hours)

Place: Central European University, Budapest (Hungary)

Description: This ‘à la carte’ methods workshop has been designed for more experienced scholars (criterion: at least PhD + 5 years, and/or at least 10 years research experience, and/or senior academic appointment) who face various needs/challenges in terms of social scientific research methods: for instance (non-limitative list): writing up the methods section of a research project; choosing the adequate method(s) for a funded project they have obtained; arbitrating between different methodological options ; needing to be updated on the recent evolutions of various methods/techniques applicable to their field and topic; getting some assistance for troubleshooting in their own use of methods; getting advice on which methods expert(s) to contact for what; getting advice on which methods training they should send their team members to; getting advice/feedback on a syllabus they are putting together; getting advice on existing teaching syllabi on some methodological topics; etc. Time is a scarce resource for these seasoned scholars, and they seek a time-efficient formula to receive individual advice by senior peers/methodologists. This workshop covers a broad span of ‘qualitative’ methods and technique, in the broad sense, i.e. comprising both constructivist, interpretive and ethnographic approaches as well as more realist and post-positivist approaches to single case studies, small-N and medium-N comparisons. The formula also includes a full ‘package’ of services from March to October 2017.

Fees: 2000 € (ECPR members), 3000 € (non-ECPR members) – see fee structure at https://ecpr.eu/Events/Content.aspx?ID=416&EventID=116.

Instructors: Benoît Rihoux (UCLouvain)

Link: Course details

Title: Integrated Mixed-Methods Research including QCA

Date: 3–7 July 2017

Place: University of Manchester (UK)

Description: This summer school strand approaches mixed methods from the viewpoint that methods can be integrated not separated at the analysis stage. It focuses on the use of case-studies and the case-study comparative method in mixed-methods research contexts. The content focuses on four topics : (1) mixed methods data management; (2) qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and the comparative method; (3) fuzzy set analysis of pathways of causality; and (4) methods of using qualitative data to strengthen an argument and make the analysis rigorous and transparent. (…) This one-week event involves 28 hours of contact time of which about 5-6 hours are computer practicals led by the tutors. The computer practicals for QCA include applications of NVIVO, fsQCA, SPSS, and Excel software. (…) The organisation of the course involves lectures, active learning and a project. Each day up to two lectures and one ‘lectorial’ occur.

Fees: 600 £ (students) or 900 £ (others)

Instructors: Wendy Olsen and Stephanie Thomson

Link: Course details

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Date: 19-23 June 2017

Place: Universität St. Gallen

Description: One week course on QCA and fuzzy sets.

Fees: 900CHF (Early bird discount -50CHF through 28 Feb)

Instructors: Charles C. Ragin

Link: Course details

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Date: 15–16 June 2017

Place: University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton (UK)

Description: This course provides an introduction to an increasingly popular range of analytic techniques in comparative research, commonly referred to as QCA (Qualitative Comparative Analysis). Based on set theory and formal logic, QCA aims to provide causal generalizations that strike a balance between complexity (inherent in case-oriented approaches) and generalizability (associated with variable-oriented approaches). The aim is to provide a practical understanding of both the crisp-set and fuzzy-set versions of QCA and to examine the main epistemological, methodological and mathematical foundations of these techniques.

Fees: 10 £, 30 £ or 100 £

Instructors: Sabina Avdagic

Link: Course details

Title: Methodology Workshop on Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)

Date: 14 Apr 2017

Place: Hyatt Regency—Austin, TX (United States)

Description: Invented by Charles Ragin in the late-1980s, QCA offers an alternative to conventional statistical methods based on the analysis of set-theoretic relationships and is suitable for small-, medium-, and large-N studies. This workshop will demonstrate the method, examine its strengths and weaknesses, discuss recent developments and extensions, and suggest best practices for conducting QCA. Software for conducting QCA and resources for further study will be reviewed and recommended.

Fees: None

Instructors: Claude Rubinson (University of Houston—Downtown)

Link: Conference Course details

Title: Southern California QCA Workshop

Date: 30 March - 1 April 2017

Place: University of California, Irvine (United States)

Description: The goal of this workshop is to provide a ground-up introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and fuzzy sets. Participants will get intensive instruction and hands-on experience with the fsQCA software package and on completion should be prepared to design and execute research projects using the set-theoretic approach. Space is limited.

Fees: $350 ($150 for students)

Instructors: Charles C. Ragin (Univ California, Irvine) and Peer C. Fiss (Univ Southern California)

Links: Course details. For questions, please email fsqca2017@gmail.com.

Title: Comparative Research Designs

Date: 6–10 March 2017

Place: University of Bamberg, Germany

Description: The purpose of this course is to provide training on all aspects that enable a researcher to conceive and conduct the most appropriate comparative research design – the latter broadly defined as any research enterprise that comprises at least two ‘cases’ or observations. On the one hand, the course will cover fundamental questions ‘upstream’ of practical and hands-on choices: what is comparison? Why compare; what is the added value of comparison? What should be the ‘mindset’ of a good comparative researcher? What is the link between a research puzzle and the choice for a comparative research design? What would be the alternative(s)? At which level(s) should the ‘cases’ be envisaged? etc. On the other hand, the practicalities of different types of comparative research designs will be examined in detail, by following all the hands-on steps: (1) prior arbitrations and ‘casing’, i.e. the definition of the cases; (2) case selection, through more basic or more advanced strategies; (3) collecting and managing comparative data; (4) comparative data analysis. A short introductory module on QCA (as part of a comparative research design), both as an approach and a set of techniques, is also provided. Lectures and interactive sessions alternate, with ample time for questions/answers, open discussions, and ‘solution-finding’ for the participants’ individual projects.

Fees: €570 (ECPR Members), €875 (non-ECPR members); + possibility of early bird discount (-€100 until 2 Nov 2016) and loyalty discount (-€50); + cheaper option via a €640 ‘package’ also including a short preparatory course

Instructors: Benoît Rihoux (Université catholique de Louvain)

Link: Course details (ECPR Winter School)

Title: Advanced Multi-Method Research

Date: 6–10 March 2017

Place: University of Bamberg, Germany

Description: This course deals with multi-method research (MMR) as it is currently developed in political science and sociology (e.g., Lieberman’s nested analysis). The course builds on this development and focuses on the combination of case studies and process tracing with a large-n method and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and regression analysis in particular, as these are the most widely used large-n techniques in MMR. The relative emphasis we put on statistical methods and QCA depends on what methods the participants are applying in their own research. Participants combining case studies with another method such as social network analysis or experiments are also welcome. The goal of the course is to understand the different varieties in which MMR can be done. We discuss the unique advantages and methodological and practical challenges confronted in implementing multi-method designs. Topics include concepts in the small-n and the large-n analysis, case selection for process tracing, and the compatibility of theoretical expectations and inferences on causal effects and causal mechanisms. Method-centered discussions are illustrated with examples from different fields of political science and, if possible, the projects the participants are working on. At the end of the course, participants are able to realize their own MMR in a systematic manner and to critically evaluate published MMR studies.

Fees: €570 (ECPR Members), €875 (non-ECPR members); + possibility of early bird discount (-€100 until 2 Nov 2016) and loyalty discount (-€50); + cheaper option via a €640 ‘package’ also including a short preparatory course

Instructors: Ingo Rohlfing (Bremen International Graduate School in the Social Sciences)

Link: Course details (ECPR Winter School)

Title: Advanced Topics in Set-Theoretic Methods and QCA

Date: 6–10 March 2017

Place: University of Bamberg, Germany

Description: This course addresses advanced issues that arise if and when scholars embrace notions of sets and their relations. While it is a course about set-theoretic methods writ large, most of the time, we will discuss issues that are specific to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). Although much effort has been put into developing standards of good practice, still many important issues remain unresolved, and even sometimes unaddressed. This has given rise to a recent wave of literature sceptical of set-methods, in general, and QCA, in particular. In this course we not only discuss the issues raised by theses critiques, but go beyond them and explore the hitherto under-used potentials of set-theoretic methods. Depending on needs and interests of participants, we choose among the following topics: set-theoretic multi-method research; robustness and uncertainty; set-theoretic theory evaluation; enhanced Standard Analysis; time and set-theoretic methods; model ambiguity; and/or two-step QCA.

Fees: €570 (ECPR Members), €875 (non-ECPR members); + possibility of early bird discount (-€100 until 2 Nov 2016) and loyalty discount (-€50); + cheaper option via a €640 ‘package’ also including a short preparatory course

Instructors: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)

Link: Course details (ECPR Winter School)