Episode 1 - Santi Furnari: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)

Ethnography Atelier Podcast

In this first episode of the podcast, we talk with Associate Professor Santi Furnari from Cass Business School about his experience using fuzzy-set/ Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fs/QCA). Qualitative Comparative Analysis was originally developed by Charles Ragin and represents a technique to determine which logical conclusions a dataset supports. The approach attempts to bridge qualitative and quantitative traditions by combining the complexity of qualitative data with the analytical precision of quantitative techniques to analyze cross-case patterns. It is particularly suitable to address “If … then” hypotheses and takes into account complex causal structures based on Boolean algebra. In our conversation, Santi tells us about the origins of this approach, how he uses it in his research on organizational configurations and business models, and his general insights on its benefits and challenges.