QCA Workshop 2019

In December 2019, the Jackstädt Center was involved in organizing and hosting the 7th International QCA Expert Workshop (Dec. 10-11) and the 3rd International QCA Paper Development Workshop (Dec. 11-12) at ETH Zurich. The workshops were organized together with cooperation partners from the University of Bamberg, EAWAG, and ETH Zurich. The workshops were supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the Society for the Advancement of Management Studies (SAMS), and COMPASSS. Traditionally, the International Expert Workshop focuses on the discussion of methodological developments, software developments, and advanced applications, while the International QCA Paper Development Workshop focuses on the discussion of research by early career researchers.

The two-day QCA Expert Workshop focused on the presentation and discussion of new methodological developments in QCA, the development of mixed-methods approaches using QCA, and the advancement of software packages for conducting QCA applications. In addition to scientific presentations, interactive formats offered the opportunity for exchange. For example, in the session "What's next? The future of QCA", proposals and suggestions for the development of the scientific community around QCA were developed and discussed in an interactive format. The Expert Workshop closed with a public keynote address by Prof. Dr. James Mahoney on "The Logic of Critical Event Analysis". All participants of the Paper Development Workshop (PDW), which was held the following day, were cordially invited to attend this talk. After the lecture, a dinner for the PDW participants took place, allowing all the participants and discussants to get to know each other in a comfortable atmosphere.

At the one-day QCA Paper Development Workshop, the research work of young researchers was discussed intensively in small groups, each of which had two experienced researchers. The program was rounded off by the presentation of common software packages, a panel discussion on publishing scientific articles with QCA, and opportunities for community engagement and networking. This year, the COMPASSS Best Paper Award and two Runner-up Best Paper Awards were presented for the first time for the best submissions from junior researchers. The awards ceremony concluded the workshop and will continue in future years.