03 April 2024 | Münster
The 3rd AQCA (QCA Conference of the Americas), hosted by Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois from March 20th to 22nd, 2024, served as a pivotal gathering for researchers and practitioners employing configurational-comparative methods and approaches.
This cross-disciplinary event provided a platform for participants to showcase their current research projects, exchange feedback, and discuss theoretical and methodological advancements in the field. Attendees had the opportunity to explore new avenues in configurational-comparative research practices, fostering collaboration and innovation.
In addition to the conference sessions, attendees could participate in a specialized QCA Training workshop. This workshop offered two tracks, one introductory and the other advanced, catering to participants with varying levels of expertise.
Led by two esteemed academics i.e. Professor Claude Rubinson from the University of Houston-Downtown and Professor Roel Rutten from Tilburg University, the introductory workshop provided a comprehensive overview of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and fuzzy sets. Participants gained insights into the method's analytical foundations, its unique ontological and epistemological perspectives, and practical applications in research design and execution.
The advanced R Training workshop, led by Professor Adrian Duşa from the University of Bucharest, offered participants an exclusive opportunity to delve into the QCA package for R. Professor Duşa shared detailed procedures for conducting QCA with R, discussing alternative methodological approaches, and highlighting the latest developments in the R package. The advanced workshop also offered an opportunity to discuss and get answers to most pressing questions about the QCA package for R directly from its author Professor Duşa.
Beyond its educational offerings, the conference facilitated networking opportunities for QCA researchers, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing. Attendees were encouraged to engage in dialogue, forge connections, and collectively advance the configurational-comparative perspective.
