Pragmatic Comparative Research: Pragmatism as a Philosophy of Science for Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)

ABSTRACT Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a set‐theoretic approach that enables accounting for causal complexity, incorporating features of qualitative and quantitative methods. Pioneered in sociology, it is increasingly used in comparative research to explain social phenomena in various di...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sociology compass 2024-12, Vol.18 (12), p.n/a
Main Author: Garcés‐Velástegui, Pablo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Comparative analysis
Empiricism
fuzzy sets
methodology
Philosophy
philosophy of science
Pragmatism
Public participation
Qualitative analysis
qualitative comparative analysis
Quantitative analysis
Rationalism
Sociology
Soil fertility
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Summary:ABSTRACT Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a set‐theoretic approach that enables accounting for causal complexity, incorporating features of qualitative and quantitative methods. Pioneered in sociology, it is increasingly used in comparative research to explain social phenomena in various disciplines. Despite its growing adoption, and because of its eclectic nature, some methodological themes have proven elusive. Its philosophy of science is one such issue. Philosophical pragmatism, which focuses on action, rather than the mind as rationalism or things as empiricism, is proposed to fill this void. Moving beyond the positivist‐interpretivist dichotomy, this paper argues that pragmatism's philosophical wagers support QCA's assumptions and practice. Moreover, pragmatism's implications in terms of practical consequences, provisionality of insights, plurality of method, and public participation provide fertile soil on which QCA‐based inquiry can sow, producing pragmatic comparative research.
ISSN:1751-9020
1751-9020
DOI:10.1111/soc4.70021