Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets: Basics and Advanced Issues in Set-Theoretic Methods

Date: 25 July - 10 August 2013

Place: University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Description: This course deals with set-theoretic methods and their application in the social sciences. In the first step, the course spells out the fundamental concepts that characterise this methodological perspective, among them the central notions of necessity and sufficiency. This requires that the participants are also familiarised with background knowledge of set-theory, formal logic and Boolean algebra. All analytic issues will be introduced based on crisp sets and then expanded to fuzzy sets. Right from its beginning, the course will also teach the use of software packages (fsQCA, TOSMANA, depending on the advancement of the course perhaps also R). By discussing set-theoretic methods, in-class debates will also dwell on broade, general comparative social research issues, such as case selection principles, concept formation and aggregation issues, or the treatment of causally relevant notions of time. Real-life published applications are used throughout the course. If available, participants are also encouraged to bring their own data. Some basic empirical comparative training is useful to get more out of the course, but this is no course prerequisite in a strict sense.

Fees: €730 (early-bird rate)

Instructors: Patrick Emmenegger (University of St.Gallen), Carsten Q. Schneider (Central European University, Budapest)

Link: ECPR Summer School in Methods and Techniques

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis: Research Designs and Methods

Date: 8 July - 19 July 2013

Place: National University of Singapur, Singapur

Description: This course provides an overview of research designs and methods for systematic comparative analysis when confronted with a small number of highly complex cases, such as political and legal systems, social movements, or corporations. You will be introduced to new methodological procedures and learn how to use software to reduce this complexity and to arrive at configurational solutions based on set theory and Boolean algebra. Real-life applications are used throughout the course. Participants are encouraged to bring their own data.
This course is equally suitable for participants with and without a background in quantitative methods, statistics, or mathematics. However, participants without any prior training in basic qualitative research methods might want to consider taking Case Studies and Causal Inference instead.

Fees: S$810-S$1500

Instructors: Dirk Berg-Schlosser (Philipps University Marburg)

Link: IPSA Summer School Course Description

Title: Methodology Workshop on Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Date: 24 April 2013

Place: Atlanta, GA (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. Claude Rubinson (University of Houston-Downtown), a former student and co-author of Ragin's, will lead an instructional seminar that demonstrates the method, examines its strengths and weaknesses, discusses recent developments and extensions, and suggests best practices for conducting QCA. Software for conducting QCA and resources for further study will be reviewed and recommended. The workshop is appropriate for both novices and those with previous QCA experience.

Fees: Free

Instructors: Claude Rubinson (University of Houston-Downtown)

Link: Southern Sociological Society

Title: Methodology Workshop on Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Date: 12 April 2013

Place: Denver, Colorado (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. Claude Rubinson (University of Houston-Downtown), a former student and co-author of Ragin's, will lead an instructional seminar that demonstrates the method, examines its strengths and weaknesses, discusses recent developments and extensions, and suggests best practices for conducting QCA. Software for conducting QCA and resources for further study will be reviewed and recommended. The workshop is appropriate for both novices and those with previous QCA experience.

Fees: Free

Instructors: Claude Rubinson (University of Houston-Downtown)

Link: Western Social Science Association

Title: Configurational Comparative Approaches in Public Administration and Political Science: Boolean and Fuzzy-Set Analysis

Date: 22 April - 25 April 2013

Place: Utrecht (Netherlands)

Description: For many years now, comparative analyses are central to the social sciences in general and public administration and political science in particular. Knowledge of comparative methods is therefore crucial for all PhD students in these fields. In this NIG course, participants are introduced to, discuss, and practice comparative methods that are based on set theory and formal logic and which have become known under the acronym QCA (Qualitative Comparative Analysis), or more generally as configurational comparative methods (Rihoux & Ragin 2009). These techniques have been introduced to the social sciences by Charles Ragin in the late 1980s (Ragin 1989) and have been improved since (e.g. Ragin 2000, 2008). Over the last years, the scholarly interest for and use of configurational methods is increasing, as a rising number of publications using these techniques signifies (see www.compasss.org). This course provides the participants with a solid understanding of the set-theoretical underpinnings of configurational methods and of the practical research skills needed to perform a comparative configurational analysis. After the course, the participants will be able to identify and deal with the issues, problems and strategies of 'small and medium sized' (N between around 5 to 50) research, projects for which these techniques are particularly but not exclusively suited. The knowledge gained is also of the utmost relevance for those PhD students who do not intend to use a configurational method, but who are conducting a comparative study (such as a comparative case study design). The PhD students will practice with the available (open source) software: Tosmana, fsQCA 2.5 and the QCA-package for R, either with their own data set or with data sets provided by the lecturers.

Fees: free for members of the Netherlands Institute of Government (for external participants, contact: nig@fsw.eur.nl)

Instructors: Barbara Vis (VU University Amsterdam), Maarten Vink (Maastricht University)

Link: Course Description

Title: Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Set Analysis

Date: 26 February - 9 March 2013

Place: Leuven (Belgium)

Description: The first half of the course (Benoît Rihoux) will focus on comparative research design, and then on conventional sets and set relations. The latter topics lead naturally to truth table analysis and the idea of studying cases as configurations (combinations of aspects). This emphasis links QCA to case-oriented analysis and provides a sharp contrast with variable-oriented analysis where the usual goal is to isolate the net effect is each causal variables. This also translates in two "crisp" techniques: csQCA (crisp-set QCA) and mvQVA (multi-value QCA). The second half of the course (Carsten Schneider) addresses many of the same issues from the perspective of fuzzy sets. Fuzzy set analysis is somewhat more demanding because (1) fuzzy algebra is, in effect, a superset of (i.e. more general than) Boolean algebra, (2) fuzzy sets must be carefully calibrated, which raises important measurement issues, and (3) the standard for establishing set theoretic relations is more demanding than it is with conventional crisp sets. The teaching method is primarily lecture and will be supplemented with computer exercises using relevant software (TOSMANA & FSQCA mainly).

Fees: €120

Instructors: Benoît Rihoux (University of Louvain), Carsten Schneider (CEU Budapest)

Link: Course Description and contact person Mrs Lilian Wassing

Title: Comparative Research Design

Date: 12 February - 22 February 2013

Place: University of Vienna, Austria

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) is also provided. The course is lecture-based (no lab work) and will also allow ample time for questions/answers and open discussions.

Fees: €495

Instructors: Benoît Rihoux (University of Louvain)

Link: ECPR Winter School in Methods and Techniques

Title: Advanced Multi-Method Research

Date: 12 February - 22 February 2013

Place: University of Vienna, Austria

Description: This course deals with multi-method research (MMR) as it is currently developed in the methodological literature (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 (Which form of QCA (csQCA, fsQCA, mvQCA) and regression model (OLS, TSCS, etc.) is insignificant). 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. Moreover, 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. Methodological discussions are illustrated with examples from different fields of political science and sociology.
At the end of the course, participants are able to realize their own MMR in a systematic manner and to critically evaluate published multi-method analyses.

Fees: €495

Instructors: Ingo Rohlfing (University of Cologne)

Link: ECPR Winter School in Methods and Techniques