Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)

The UK Evaluation Society is pleased to be working with CECAN Ltd to deliver this Masterclass for those working in consultancy, NGOs, Government, academia and other evaluation settings

This course is an introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). QCA is a method for the comparative study of cases and is used to analyse qualitative social data systematically. The analysis compares cases by assigning set memberships across a set of attributes.

QCA is particularly good at understanding multiple causation because it is focussed on causal recipes (combination of causes) rather than individual variables. This helps with understanding (different) causal pathways in policy evaluation settings.

The course will look at the theoretical and practical aspects of QCA, working through a detailed example using the fsQCA software package to understand crisp and fuzzy set QCA.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will :

Understand why and where QCA is a useful method
Be able to prepare data for use in a QCA
Have basic understanding of the fsQCA software for application for QCA

Tutor

Dr Corinna Elsenbroich is a Reader in Computational Modelling at Glasgow University (MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit). Corinna is particularly interested in methodological and epistemological aspects of novel methods, in particular computational methods such as agent-based modelling and social simulation, and has published on aspects of ontology, explanatory power and context validity in modelling. As a computational modeller, she has developed models of dynamic social networks of juvenile delinquency, neighbourhood effects of extortion racketeering and collective reasoning in social dilemma situations. She is particularly interested in complexity sensitive social science methods, comprising computational, case-based and participatory methods. As a co-investigator in the Centre for Evaluation of Complexity Across the Nexus (CECAN) she is involved with developing these methods in a policy-relevant way. She is currently working on how to combine methods through novel research designs.

This course is intended for those who have some experience of evaluation.

Fees

Non-Members £300 + VAT *
Members £250 + VAT *
Student Members £200 + VAT

*Discount available for institutions booking 6 or more places

N.B. Closing date for applications is 30th August 2023