Training
This page contains a non-exhaustive list of the forthcoming and past trainings on Qualitative Comparative Analysis broadly speaking. This includes summer school courses, general lectures, methodological seminars, etc… If you have any suggestion or comment concerning this page, please send an email to Damien Bol.
An e-version of an introductory lecture about QCA and Fuzzy Sets, given by Benoit Rihoux is available HERE (ECPR Summer School, Ljubljana, August 2009).
Forthcoming trainings:
2 - 14 August 2010, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
ECPR Summer School in Methods and Techniques
QUALITATIVE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND FUZZY SETS: BASICS AND ADVANCED ISSUES IN CONFIGURATIONAL COMPARATIVE METHODS
Instructor: Airo Hino (Tokyo Metropolitan University) and Carsten Schneider (Central European University)
This course examines the family of 'configurational comparative methods' (CCM). First, the course spells out the fundamental concepts that underlie the configurational comparative approach, with a special focus on the notions of necessity and sufficiency. Participants are also made familiar with issues such as the basics of formal logic, Boolean algebra, and set theory.
Participants will first be taught to understand and use crisp-set (dichotomous) Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA), including practical steps, best practices, and the use of software packages (fsQCA, TOSMANA, depending on course progress perhaps also Stata and R). Multi-value QCA (mvQCA) is also introduced. Then the course provides a thorough introduction to fuzzy-set QCA (fsQCA) and the discussion of several advanced issues surrounding QCA, such as its relation to case selection principles, concept formation and aggregation issues, or the treatment of time in QCA. Real-life, published applications are used throughout the course; participants are also encouraged to bring their own data, if available. Some basic empirical comparative training is probably useful to get more out of the course, but strictly speaking this is no course prerequisite. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN.
Cost: 590€ for participants from ECPR member insitutions and 840€ for participants from other academic institutions. This includes instruction and accomodation.
For more information and to regsiter click on the ECPR Summer School in Methods and Techniques Website
14 - 17 August 2010, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
American Sociological Association Meetings
TWO-HOUR QCA WORKSHOP
Instructor: Charles Ragin (University of Arizona)
The analytic challenge of case-oriented research is not simply that the number of cases is small, but that researchers gain useful in-depth knowledge of cases that is difficult to represent using conventional forms (e.g., representations that emphasize the “net effects” of “independent variables”). The researcher is left wondering how to represent knowledge of cases in a way that is meaningful and compact, but which also does not deny case complexity. Set-theoretic methods such as Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), the central focus of this workshop, offer a solution. QCA is fundamentally a case-oriented method that can be applied to small-to-moderate size Ns. It is most useful when researchers have knowledge of each case included in an investigation, there is a relatively small number of such cases (e.g., 10-50), and the investigator seeks to compare cases as configurations. With these methods it is possible to construct representations of cross-case patterns that allow for substantial heterogeneity and diversity. This workshop offers an advanced introduction to the approach and to the use of the software package fsQCA. Both the crisp (i.e., Boolean) and fuzzy-set versions of the method will be presented.
Fuzzy set analysis is gaining popularity in the social sciences today because of the close connections it enables between verbal theory, substantive knowledge (especially in the assessment of set membership), and data analysis. Fuzzy sets are especially useful in case-oriented research, where the investigator has a degree of familiarity with the cases included in the investigation and seeks to understand cases configurationally--as specific combinations of aspects or elements. Using fuzzy-set methods, case outcomes can be examined in ways that allow for causal complexity, where different combinations of causally relevant conditions combine to generate the outcome in question. Also, with fuzzy-set methods it is a possible to evaluate arguments that causal conditions are necessary or sufficient. Examinations of this type are outside the scope of conventional analytical methods.
The workshop is open to all participants of the American Sociological Association 2010 Annual Meeting.
Show Past trainings:
University of Arizona, US, January and February 2010
University of Arizona's Short Courses
Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy-Set
Instructors: Charles RAGIN (University of Arizona)
University of California, Berkeley, US, January 2010
UC Berkeley Social Research Workshop
Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy-Set Methods
Instructors: Stephen VAISEY (UC Berkeley)
University of Torino, Italy, November and December 2009
Methodological course of the Doctoral Schoool in Sociology and Political Science
Seminar on QCA and related techniques
Instructors: Davide GRASSI (University of Torino) and Claudius WAGEMANN (Italian Institute of Human Sciences)
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, August 2009
ECPR Summer School in Methods and Techniques
Configurational Comparative Methods: QCA and Fuzzy Sets
Instructors: Benoit RIHOUX (UCLouvain) and Carsten SCHNEIDER (CEU Budapest)
CARMA, Virginia Commonwealth University, US, May 2009
Short course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Instructor: Thomas Greckhamer (Louisiana State University)
High College of Brussels (HUB) - University of Leuven (KUL), Beglium, February-March 2009
QCA and fsQCA classes
Comparative Research Design: csQCA and fsQCA
Instructors: Benoit RIHOUX (UCLouvain), Charles RAGIN (University of Arizona) and Damien BOL (UCLouvain)
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, July-August 2008
ECPR Summer School in Methods and Techniques
Configurational Comparative Methods: QCA and Fuzzy Sets
Instructors: Benoit RIHOUX (UCLouvain) and Carsten SCHNEIDER (CEU Budapest)
University of Copenhagen, Denmark, November 2008
Lecture on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets – a Primer
Instructor: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)
Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, November 2008
Lecture on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets. A Critical Introduction
Instructor: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)
University of Hamburg, Germany November 2008
Short course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructor: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)
University of Essex, UK, August 2008
40th Essex Summer School Social Science Data Analysis and Collection
Small-N and Qualitative Comparative Methods
Instructor: James MAHONEY (Northwestern University)
University of Arizona, US, August-September 2008
Short Course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructor: Charles RAGIN (University of Arizona)
University of Mannheim, Germany, May 2008
Short course on Fuzzy Set Analysis
Instructor: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)
University of Mannheim, Germany, May 2008
Short course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructor: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, July-August 2007
ECPR Summer School in Methods and Techniques
Comparative Research Design and Configurational Comparative Methods
Instructors: Benoit RIHOUX (UCLouvain) and Carsten SCHNEIDER (CEU Budapest)
University of Essex, UK, July 2007
Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Anal
Systematic Qualitative Comparative Methods Research Design
Instructors: Dirk BERG-SCHLOSSER and Lasse CRONQVIST (both Philipps-University Marburg)
Chicago, USA, August 2007
APSA Short Course
Introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructor: Charles RAGIN (University of Arizona)
Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany, March 2007
Marburg QCA Spring Course (in German)
Instructors: Dirk BERG-SCHLOSSER and Lasse CRONQVIST (both Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany).
University of Cologne, Germany, September 2007
Short course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructor: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)
University of Konstanz, Switzerland, September 2007
Short course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructor: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, August 2006
ECPR Summer School in Methods and Techniques
Systematic comparative methods
Instructors: Benoit RIHOUX (UCLouvain) & Dirk BERG-SCHLOSSER (Philipps-Universität Marburg)
Essex, UK, July-August 2006
Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis
Systematic Qualitative Comparative Methods - Introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA and Multi-Value QCA), and Fuzzy Sets
Instructors: Dirk BERG-SCHLOSSER and Lasse CRONQVIST (both Philipps-Universität Marburg)
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, May 2006
La Lógica de la Política Comparada con Enfoque Especial en las Técnicas de ‘Qualitative Comparative Analysis’ y Conjuntos Borrosos (in Spanish language)
Instructor: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)
University of Marburg, Germany, March 2006
Short Course on Marburg QCA Spring Course (in German)
Instructors: Dirk BERG-SCHLOSSER and Lasse CRONQVIST (both Philipps-Universität Marburg)
University of Bern, Switzerland, March 2006
Short Course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructors: Carsten Q. SCHNEIDER (CEU Budapest) and Claudius WAGEMANN (EUI Florence)
University of Bern, Switzerland, January 2006
Short course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructors: Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest) and Claudius Wagemann (EUI Florence)
WZBerlin, Germany, October 2005
Short Course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructor: Carsten Q. SCHNEIDER (CEU Budapest)
Washington, USA, August 2005
APSA Short Course
Short course on Fuzzy Sets methods
Instructor: Charles RAGIN (University of Arizona)
Philadelphia, USA, August 2005
ASA Annual Meeting
Methodological Seminar on Scientific Foundations of Qualitative Research
Instructor: Charles RAGIN (University of Arizona)
Philadelphia, USA, August 2005
ASA Annual Meeting
Methodological Seminar on Fuzzy Sets and Case-Oriented Research
Instructor: Charles RAGIN (University of Arizona)
Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany, August 2005
Short Course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructors: Carsten Q. SCHNEIDER (CEU Budapest) and Claudius WAGEMANN (EUI Florence)
University of Essex, UK, July-August 2005
Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Collection & Analysis
Systematic Qualitative Comparative Methods - Introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Multi-Value QCA
Instructors: Benoit RIHOUX (UCLouvain) and Dirk BERG-SCHLOSSER (Philipps-Universität Marburg)
Seoul, South Korea, June 2005
Methodological Seminar on Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Instructor: Charles RAGIN (University of Arizona)
Academia Sinica, Taiwan, June 2005
Methodological Seminar on Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Instructor: Charles RAGIN (University of Arizona)
European University Institute, Italy, May 2005
Short Course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructors: Carsten Q. SCHNEIDER (CEU Budapest) and Claudius WAGEMANN (EUI Florence)
University of Lüneburg, Germany, February 2005
Short course on Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets
Instructors: Carsten Q. SCHNEIDER (CEU Budapest) and Claudius WAGEMANN (EUI Florence)
Chicago, USA, September 2004
APSA Short Course
Concepts, Causation, and Context: Integrating Methodologies
Instructor: Charles RAGIN (University of Arizona)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, August 2004
Sixth International Conference on Social Science Methodology
Recent Developments and Applications in Social Research Methodology
Instructors: Sakura YAMASAKI (UCLouvain) and Alain GOTTCHEINER (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
Oslo, Norway, July 2004
Summer School in Comparative Social Science Studies
Comparative Methodology: The Logic of Case Oriented Research
Instructor: Charles RAGIN (University of Arizona)
Essex, UK, July-August 2004
Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis and Collection
Systematic Qualitative Comparative Methods - Introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Multi-Value QCA
Instructors: Benoît RIHOUX (UCLouvain) & Dirk BERG-SCHLOSSER (Philipps-Universitat Marburg)
European University Institute, Italy, April 2004
Short introductory workshop on technical aspects of QCA
Instructors: Claudius Wagemann (EUI Florence), Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest) & Stefano Bartolini (EUI Florence)
Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) in Vienna, Austria, March 2004
Two presentations of QCA as an applied method
Instructors: Claudius Wagemann (EUI Florence) and Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)
UCLouvain, Belgium, March 2004
Midis de la Recherche Short Course (in French language)
Instructor: : Benoit RIHOUX (UCLouvain)
Brussels, Belgium
Ninth Annual Lecture in Social Statistics: QCA (Qualitative Comparative Analysis)
Instructors: Benoit RIHOUX (UCLouvain) and Gisèle DE MEUR (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
Kaunas, Lithuania, October 2003
Teaching Seminar on The logic of QCA and its Application for the Social Sciences
Instructors: Benoit RIHOUX (UCLouvain), Gisèle DE MEUR (Université Libre de Bruxelles) and Sakura YAMASAKI (UCLouvain)
Lille, France, September 2003
Summer School (in French language)
L’analyse quali-quantitative comparée (AQQC-QCA)
Instructors: Benoit RIHOUX (UCLouvain), Gisèle DE MEUR (Université Libre de Bruxelles) and Sakura YAMASAKI (UCLouvain)