Solving contradictory simplifying assumptions in QCA: presentation of a new best practice

Delreux, Tom [UCL] Hesters, Delphine [K.U.Leuven]

One of the strongest features of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is the possibility for explicit use of remainders in order to contribute to more parsimonious results. However, as a consequence of the way in which QCA procedures are currently executed, simplifying assumptions made about the remainders can be in contradiction with each other. As contradictions – the same configuration of conditions leading to different outcomes – go against the underlying principles of the methodology and make the research results invalid, researchers using QCA should control for contradictory simplifying assumptions (CSA) and solve them if they have emerged during the analysis. In today’s literature, one way of solving CSA has been introduced and replicated by different scholars. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an alternative technique for solving CSA and to demonstrate with real-life data how our solution can be applied in practice. We believe our technique is a refinement and improvement on both the process and result level; it remains closer to the fundamental principles of QCA and the results are possibly more parsimonious. Hence, we propose it as a new best practice.