IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/somere/v23y1994i1p86-113.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Analytical Induction

Author

Listed:
  • ALEXANDER HICKS

    (Emory University)

Abstract

This article bridges two research traditions, analytical induction (AI) and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) in the context of a study of early welfare state formation. First, the article differentiates classical AI from neoanalytical induction (NAI), tracing the latter to the former and identifying some problems with NAI. Next, it outlines QCA and identifies some problems with it. Third, it sketches two bridges, along with solutions that they offer for some limitations of NAI and QCA. One bridge links NAI's method, in essence a logical implementation of the idea of the working hypothesis, to QCA's powerful Boolean technology. The second bridge joins AI's stress on the reformulation of hypotheses in the face of negative evidence to QCA's capacities for complex inductive and logical specifications of the relations of explanatory to dependent variables. Following that, the article summarizes portions of a study of early 20th-century welfare state formation and uses them to illustrate the bridges. It concludes with a discussion of the analytical promise of a variant of QCA that stresses theory building in the AI tradition.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander Hicks, 1994. "Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Analytical Induction," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 23(1), pages 86-113, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:somere:v:23:y:1994:i:1:p:86-113
    DOI: 10.1177/0049124194023001004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0049124194023001004
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0049124194023001004?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lipset, Seymour Martin, 1983. "Radicalism or Reformism: The Sources of Working-class Politics," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 77(1), pages 1-18, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Daniel Beland & Patrik Marier, 2004. "The Politics of Protest Avoidance: Policy Windows, Labor Mobilization, and Pension Reform in France," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 114, McMaster University.
    2. Petrocik, John R., 1998. "Reformulating the Party Coalitions: The "Christian Democratic" Republicans," Institute for Social Science Research, Working Paper Series qt27r0t4k4, Institute for Social Science Research, UCLA.
    3. Franck Biétry & Jordane Creusier & Patrice Laroche & Sandra Camus, 2014. "Perceived support, affective commitments and subjective career success: a person-centred approach [Soutiens perçus, engagements affectifs et succès de carrière subjectif : une approche en termes de," Post-Print hal-01884095, HAL.
    4. John W. Budd & J. Ryan Lamare, 2021. "The Importance of Political Systems for Trade Union Membership, Coverage and Influence: Theory and Comparative Evidence," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 59(3), pages 757-787, September.
    5. Jake Rosenfeld, 2010. "Economic Determinants of Voting in an Era of Union Decline," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 91(2), pages 379-395, June.
    6. Carlile, Lonny, 2004. "The Japanese Labor Movement and Institutional Reform," EIJS Working Paper Series 200, Stockholm School of Economics, The European Institute of Japanese Studies.
    7. Mathieu Floquet & Marc Nikitin, 2013. "Faut-il diffuser de l'information financière aux salariés ?," Post-Print hal-01003932, HAL.
    8. Petrocik, John R., 1998. "The Blanket Primary: Candidate Strategy and Voter Response," Institute for Social Science Research, Working Paper Series qt4qt553wq, Institute for Social Science Research, UCLA.
    9. Trif, Aurora & Koch, Karl, 2005. "Strategic unionism in Eastern Europe: The case of Romania," MPIfG Working Paper 05/7, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    10. Avdagic, Sabina, 2004. "Loyalty and Power in Union-Party Alliances: Labor Politics in Postcommunism," MPIfG Discussion Paper 04/7, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    11. Hans Keman, 1993. "Theoretical Approaches to Social Democracy," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 5(3), pages 291-316, July.
    12. Coban, Mehmet Kerem, 2021. "Power Resources and Income Inequality in Switzerland and Singapore," OSF Preprints pgd65, Center for Open Science.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:somere:v:23:y:1994:i:1:p:86-113. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.