MOOC Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Introduction

Qualitative Comparative Analysis is a comparative method that is mainly used in the social sciences for the assessment of cause-effect relations. After the course you will understand the methodological foundations of QCA and you will know how to conduct a basic QCA study by yourself.

Course information

Qualitative Comparative Analysis is a comparative method that is mainly used in the social sciences for the assessment of cause-effect relations (i.e. causation). This method can be used for the analysis of cases on all levels: macro (e.g. countries), meso (e.g. organisations) and micro (e.g. individuals). It is mostly used for research of small- and medium-sized samples and populations (10-100 cases), but it can also be used for larger groups. Ideally, the number of cases is at least 10. QCA cannot be used if you are doing an in-depth study of one case.

The activities of the course include watching the videos, consulting supplementary material where necessary, and doing assignments. The activities should be done in that order: first watch the videos; then consult supplementary material (if desired) for more details and examples; then do the assignments.

What will you learn in this course?

• After the course you will understand the methodological foundations of QCA.
• After the course you will know how to conduct a basic QCA study by yourself.

For more information and registration: Visit the Coursera website.