Addressing the Critiques of QCA

Meur, Gisèle De; Yamasaki, Sakura; Rihoux, Benoît

doi:10.4135/9781452226569.n7

Cited by 62 publications

(54 citation statements)

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“…Third, the findings from fsQCA do not explain the process by which any one state adopted a pledge. As a method, qualitative comparative analysis is not designed to explain the mechanisms that lead to a particular outcome, but rather to identify the necessary conditions that must be present for an outcome to occur (De Meur, Rihoux, and Yamasaki 2009). Case study research, or an in-depth analysis of any one of these states, could be used to reveal the specific events and debates that preceded any one state's adoption of a pledge.…”

Section: Limitations and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aiming for zero: what makes nations adopt carbon neutral pledges?

Flagg

2015

Environmental Sociology

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Amid widespread inaction in the face of the looming threat of climate change, the leaders of nine nation-states have opted for a bold, seemingly anomalous, course of action by making national carbon neutrality pledges. Because prior research has focused on why states fail to curb emissions, there is a paucity of research on why some states take a different path by committing to drastic emission reductions. This research aims to help fill that gap. First, a content analysis of 252 newspaper articles reveals that New Zealand made the first pledge and eight other states have followed. Second, fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis is used to compare political and social conditions in states with carbon neutral pledges to conditions in a randomly selected group of states without such pledges. Pledge states, compared to non-pledge states, have better governance scores on world indices, an abundant presence of global environmental NGOs, and smaller populations. Pledge states also have lower levels of income inequality (measured by Gini coefficients) than non-pledge states. I argue that these conditions (effective governance, abundant NGOs, small population sizes, and egalitarian class structures) facilitate collective action, and thus enabled some states to make carbon neutral pledges.

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Section: Limitations and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aiming for zero: what makes nations adopt carbon neutral pledges?

Flagg

2015

Environmental Sociology

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“…Proponents of fuzzy-set techniques extol the method for its capacity to incorporate the best of quantitative and qualitative strategies. While its achievements and shortcomings continue to be debated (De Meur et al: 2009), our study suggests that there is sound reason behind this claim. The iterative process of moving between theory, cases, definition and calibration can be time-consuming and frustrating, but it has a number of virtues.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Towards a Comparative Analysis of Democratic Innovations. Lessons from a small-N fsQCA of Participatory Budgeting

Ryan¹,

Smith²

2012

Rev. int. sociol.

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While there has been a proliferation of academic interest in 'democratic innovations', most empirical analysis tends to rely on single case studies. Very little attention has been given to the comparative analysis of innovations, in particular the conditions under which they emerge and are sustained. Recent studies of participatory budgeting (PB) have begun to utilise cross-case analysis in an attempt to explain divergent outcomes. This paper argues that the comparative analysis of democratic innovations could be enhanced significantly through the application of the relatively novel technique of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). A small-N study of PBs is offered to identify the potential (and pitfalls) of using fsQCA to evaluate the conditions under which such an innovation is institutionalised effectively. KeywoRdSDemocratic innovations; Fuzzy membership; Institutionalised citizen control; Participatory budgeting; Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). ReSuMenAunque el interés académico por las "innovaciones democráticas" ha proliferado, la mayoría de los análisis empíricos se apoyan en un solo caso de estudio. Se ha prestado poca atención al análisis comparativo de las innovaciones, en concreto de las condiciones en que emergen y se mantienen. Algunos estudios recientes sobre presupuestos participativos (PP) han comenzado a emplear análisis de casos cruzados en un intento por explicar los resultados divergentes. En este artículo se sostiene que el análisis comparado de las innovaciones podría mejorar significativamente mediante la aplicación de una técnica relativamente nueva, el aná-lisis cualitativo comparado de conjuntos difusos (fsQCA). Aquí se ofrece un estudio de N pequeña sobre PP para identificar el potencial (y las dificultades) que entraña el empleo de fsQCA para evaluar las condiciones en las que tal innovación se institucionaliza de forma efectiva. PalabRaS claveAnálisis comparado cualitativo; Control ciudadano institucionalizado; Innovaciones Democráticas; Membresía difusa; Presupuesto participativo. ReviSta inteRnacional de SocioloGía (RiS) Special issue on methodological challenges in participation researchVol. 70, extra 2, 89-120, diciembre 2012

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“…Therefore, it is better to select a limited number of conditions because the danger is that otherwise only a description will be obtained rather than establishing core elements of possible mechanisms leading to the outcome of interest. Amongst others King et al (1994) andDe Meur et al (2009) have argued that simplification in the social sciences is necessary to allow us to understand complexity. Table 2 outlines the different stages of analysis undertaken for the results of this study.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applying Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to evaluate a public health policy initiative in the North East of England

2013

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This paper presents a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) analysis of data produced as part of the evaluation a Nation Health Service commissioned intervention in the North East of England. QCA is a case-oriented method that allows systematic comparison of cases as configurations of set memberships based on their attributes and the relationship of these to particular outcomes. QCA provides an alternative to conventional quantitative approaches which are generally concerned with isolating the independent effect of one variable whilst controlling the influence of others. Instead, QCA allows for interactions between multiple attributes and recognises that the same outcomes may be generated by different configurations of attributes. The intervention evaluated provided case management for individuals who were out of work due to ill health, and had been for three years or more. It aimed to improve the health of individuals and move them closer to the labour market. The intervention and a comparison group were assessed at base line (T1), after 3 months — (T2) after 6 months (end of the intervention — T3) and after 9 months (three months post intervention — T4). The size of the respective populations at each time point were, Intervention group at T1, N = 131, T2, N = 44, T3, N = 79, T4, N = 95. Comparison group at T1, N = 229, T2, N = 188, T3, N = 166, T4, N = 154. General health was measured using EQ5-D (a standardised instrument for use as a measure of general health outcome) and SF-8. Two condition specific measures were included: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire. Data was also collected on socio demographics (gender, age, housing tenure), social capital (contact with family and friends and participation with the wider community), and work history (previous jobs, time spent in the job, time spent on sickness absence). The aim of the QCA analysis was to identify whether individuals with certain characteristics or combinations of characteristics benefited from the intervention. In order to do this the cases were sorted according to whether their EQ-5D VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) scores (a self rated measure of general health) narrowed or did not narrow towards the population norm for the measure between baseline (T1) and (T4) 9 months (three months post intervention — T4). Cases which narrowed towards the UK population norm of 82.48 were judged to be experiencing a health improvement whilst those whose scores did not narrow towards the norm were judged to not have experienced a health improvement. A crisp set (cs) QCA analysis was then performed. The paper assesses the benefits of using QCA, and asks whether it can provide a viable and practical tool for social policy evaluations.

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Addressing the Critiques of QCA

Cited by 62 publications

References 0 publications

Aiming for zero: what makes nations adopt carbon neutral pledges?

Aiming for zero: what makes nations adopt carbon neutral pledges?

Towards a Comparative Analysis of Democratic Innovations. Lessons from a small-N fsQCA of Participatory Budgeting

Applying Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to evaluate a public health policy initiative in the North East of England

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