Qualitative comparison analysis: An example analysis of clinical directorates and resource management

Qualitative Comparison Analysis (QCA) is an innovative analytical technique that bridges the gap between qualitative and quantitative approaches to research. Grounded in set theory, it allows the analyst to make causal about the structure of relationships between variables and outcomes. This is achieved through the identification of multiple configuration of causal conditions leading to an outcome of interest. QCA has typically been viewed as a small and medium-N approach although it is increasingly being applied to large-N datasets. This chapter describes the variants and rudiments of the QCA technique. These are illustrated with reference to a tutorial example and a real-world application that considers alternative configurations of causal conditions associated with clinician involvement in resource management in Irish hopitals.