Reflections on Qualitative Aspects of Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Abstract

The new procedures and complex methodologies that have emerged today can be used in a variety of social and natural science fields. One of these is the Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), which is suitable for explaining complex social phenomena and situations, and which uses a logical, set-theoretic approach to explore and analyse causal relationships. The paper seeks to answer the question of whether or not qualitative comparative analysis can be classified within the quantitative, qualitative or mixed paradigms, and then outlines aspects of the methodology from a qualitative perspective. It analyses the status of equifinality, sample size, null cases and the role of the researcher in studies using qualitative comparative analysis.