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Qualitative Comparative Analysis (qualitative + comparative_analysis)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Humanities and Social Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Governments and unpopular social policy reform: Biting the bullet or steering clear?

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2009
BARBARA VIS
This article shows that there exists substantial cross-cabinet variation in the degree to which governments take unpopular measures and argues that current studies cannot adequately explain this variation. Using insights from prospect theory, a psychological theory of choice under risk, this study hypothesises that governments only engage in unpopular reform if they face a deteriorating socio-economic situation, a falling political position, or both. If not, they shy away from the risk of reform. A fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fs/QCA) of the social policy reform activities pursued by German, Dutch, Danish and British cabinets between 1979 and 2005 identifies a deteriorating socio-economic situation as necessary for unpopular reform. It is only sufficient for triggering reform, however, if the political position is also deteriorating and/or the cabinet is of rightist composition. This study's findings further the scholarly debate on the politics of welfare state reform by offering a micro-foundation that helps one to understand what induces political actors aspiring to be re-elected to engage in electorally risky unpopular reform. [source]

Reducing complexity in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA): Remote and proximate factors and the consolidation of democracy

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2006
CARSTEN Q. SCHNEIDER
However, real-world research situations might make the application of fs/QCA difficult in two respects , namely, the complexity of the results and the phenomenon of limited diversity. We suggest a two-step approach as one possibility to mitigate these problems. After introducing the difference between remote and proximate factors, the application of a two-step fs/QCA approach is demonstrated analyzing the causes of the consolidation of democracy. We find that different paths lead to consolidation, but all are characterized by a fit of the institutional mix chosen to the societal context in terms of power dispersion. Hence, we demonstrate that the application of fs/QCA in a two-step manner helps to formulate and test equifinal and conjunctural hypotheses in medium-size N comparative analyses, and thus to contribute to an enhanced understanding of social phenomena. [source]

Educational Federalism in Germany: Foundations of Social Inequality in Education

GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2009
MARKUS FREITAG
This article applies Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to examine how sub-national education systems affect the extent of social inequality in education within the German federal states. Variations in educational outcomes between the federal states can be primarily attributed to the strict educational decentralization in Germany. We examine four conditions of regional education systems presumed to be relevant for the extent of social inequality in education: the availability of early childhood education, the development of all-day schools, the onset of tracking to different school types, and the degree of tripartition in secondary education. Altogether, we find systematic relationships between the variation of sub-national education systems and the extent of social inequality in education. The results indicate that well-developed early childhood education is necessary for a low degree of educational inequality. However, educational inequality is not directly related to partisan and socioeconomic determinants. [source]

Bureaucratization of environmental management and corporate greening: an empirical analysis of large manufacturing firms in Japan

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2005
Takuya Takahashi
Abstract We have used qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to empirically investigate relationships between the organizational structure of environmental management within large Japanese manufacturing firms and their corporate greening processes. Three dimensions of bureaucratization (i.e., formalization, centralization and professionalization) were chosen as the independent variables. Measures of corporate greening, such as integration of environmental responses into general management, introduction of green technologies and transformation of corporate culture, were chosen as the dependent variables. Our sample consists of 193 firms obtained in a survey conducted in 1997. We find that bureaucratization of environmental management generally has a positive relationship with corporate greening and that the presence of one or two of the three dimensions of bureaucratization may be sufficient for corporate greening to implement certain greening measures. The relationship between bureaucratization and ISO 14001 environmental management systems (ISO 14001 EMSs) and limitations of EMSs are also discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]