Roundtable: Meeting the Challenges of Qualitative Comparative Analysis in Criminology: Calibration of Crisp and Fuzzy Sets

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

One of the more challenging aspects of conducting qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) in criminological research is the calibration of crisp and fuzzy sets. Multiple indicators often are required to capture the complexity of criminological conditions and outcomes, and clear external standards for set calibration rarely exist. The challenges, then, are how to determine reliable and valid thresholds for dichotomous crisp sets, and those that capture the relevant variation in fuzzy set membership. In this roundtable, we will present how we have attempted to meet these calibration challenges in our own research framed by institutional anomie theory. We invite others to comment on our work and share other alternatives for calibrating crisp and fuzzy sets in QCA analysis in criminology.

Sub Unit

• Area XIII: Roundtable Sessions

Chair

• Susan M Carlson, Western Michigan University

Discussants

• Amanda Kahl Smith, University of Michigan - Flint

• Daniel J Patten, McMurry University