Testing Major Hypotheses with “Qualitative Comparative Analysis”

Abstract

From this comprehensive case study we now turn to a systematic testing of major hypotheses derived from the literature (see chapters 2 and 4 in this book) across all cases. For this purpose, a relatively new technique “Qualitative Comparative Analysis” (QCA) (Ragin 1987) is most useful. This method, in spite of a number of important limitations, demonstrates particularly well the merits of rigorous and stringent comparative procedures. It is placed within the overall group of “case-oriented” as opposed to “variable-oriented” comparisons. It is qualitative and categorical, as opposed to macro-quantitative and probabilistic approaches (see also Aarebrot and Bakka 2006). In this way, context-sensitive and historically bound explanations can be explored which give equal importance to each particular case including deviant ones or outliers. While we cannot possibly claim to have taken account of all major hypotheses or approaches, we have at least selected a number of the better-known and characteristic ones which may help to illustrate systematic tests of this kind.