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The comparative method is a fundamental concept of social science. Rihoux, Ragin and their collaborators have produced a textbook that provides an accessible introduction to the theory and practice of the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) approach. This work is a compendium of the theoretical foundations of QCA found in the broader literature, with the addition of coverage of specific techniques and applications.
Chapter 1 by Berg-Schlosser, De Meur, Rihoux, and Ragin provides background for the rest of the book by situating QCA within its historical and epistemological context. The roots of QCA in Hume's and Mill's thinking are briefly explored, as are the differences between QCA and the statistical method and the initial use of QCA in macro-comparative and small-n case comparison. QCA's notable concept of causality is also discussed in this chapter, specifically multiple conjunctural causation, where outcomes in cases are the consequence of combinations of causally relevant conditions. This is an important distinction because it encourages practitioners to abandon attempts to build models that fit their data and instead integrate an understanding of a more complex social reality into their work. The idea that equifinality or that "different paths lead to the same outcomeâ[euro] (8) is a major differentiator of QCA from statistical techniques. Moving from theoretical aspects to more practical ones, the authors enumerate some of QCA's technical benefits, namely its formalized (based upon Boolean algebra and set theory) and replicable tool set and the transparency of the method, as variables and their relationship to cases are openly displayed in the course of the analysis. However, they also touch upon a number of its limitations, including its production of circumscribed or "modestâ[euro] generalizations only, and the need to complement theoretical knowledge by a level of deep case knowledge on the part of its practitioners.
Berg-Schlosser and De Meur author the book's second chapter dealing with comparative research design, specifically the case and variable design for small- and intermediate-n investigations. Most similar different outcome (MSDO) and most different similar outcome (MDSO) strategies are introduced formally in order to establish the conditions for their use to match and contrast cases. MSDO/MDSO is also presented as a procedure to be used to structure cases for further qualitative analysis in...