Logical Constraints
The Limitations of QCA in Social Science Research
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6331276 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kevin A Clarke (0000-0002-8818-5497, University of Rochester, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 552-568 |
| Publication date | 2020-10-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Analysis (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1047-1987 • E-ISSN: 1476-4989 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/pan.2020.7 |
| OpenAlex | W3019736187 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 41 |
Researchers employing qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and its variants use two-element Boolean algebra to compare cases and identify putative causal conditions. I show that the two-element Boolean algebra constrains research in three important ways: it restricts what we can say about sets and the interactions between sets, it embodies a logical language that is too weak to capture modern social science theories, and it restricts our analysis of causation to necessity and sufficiency accounts and does not allow for counterfactuals. Modern quantitative analysis suffers none of these restrictions and provides a much richer way to understand the social world
Algorithm · Boolean algebra · Causation · Counterfactual conditional · Counterfactual thinking · Element (criminal law · Epistemology · Political science · Qualitative comparative analysis · Computer Science · Philosophy · Political Conflict and Governance · Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research · Theoretical Computer Science
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Core versus tangential assumptions in comparative research
Qualitative comparative analysis vis-à-vis regression
Social Choice and Individual Values
Realists and Idealists in QCA
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Enhancing Sensitivity Diagnostics for Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Fuzzy Sets on Shaky Ground
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Power and False Negatives in Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Standards of Good Practice and the Methodology of Necessary Conditions in Qualitative Comparative Analysis
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Still Lost in Translation! A Correction of Three Misunderstandings Between Configurational Comparativists and Regressional Analysts
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| Citations per year | 2.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |