Skip to main content

Part of the book series: Studies in Fuzziness and Soft Computing ((STUDFUZZ,volume 291))

Abstract

Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) is a methodology for obtaining linguistic summarizations from data that are associated with cases. It was developed by the eminent social scientist Prof. Charles C. Ragin, but has, as of this date, not been applied by engineers or computer scientists. Unlike more quantitative methods that are based on correlation, fsQCA seeks to establish logical connections between combinations of causal conditions and an outcome, the result being rules that summarize (describe) the sufficiency between subsets of all of the possible combinations of the causal conditions (or their complements) and the outcome. The rules are connected by the word OR to the output. Each rule is a possible path from the causal conditions to the outcome. This chapter provides a high-level introduction to fsQCA.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Fiss, P.C.: Building better causal theories: a fuzzy set approach to typologies in organization research. Academy of Management Journal (2010) (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Kacprzyk, J., Yager, R.R.: Linguistic summaries of data using fuzzy logic. International Journal of General Systems 30, 133–154 (2001)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Kacprzyk, J., Zadrożny, S.: On combining intelligent querying and data mining using fuzzy logic concepts. In: Bordogna, G., Pasi, G. (eds.) Recent Research Issues on the Management of Fuzziness in Databases, pp. 67–81. Physica-Verlag, Heidelberg (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Kacprzyk, J., Zadrożny, S.: CWW in intelligent database querying: standalone and Internet-based applications. Information Sciences 34, 71–109 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Kacprzyk, J., Zadrożny, S.: Computing with words is an implementable paradigm: fuzzy queries, linguistic data summaries and natural language generation. IEEE Trans. on Fuzzy Systems 18, 461–472 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Kacprzyk, J., Yager, R.R., Zadrożny, S.: A fuzzy logic based approach to linguistic summaries of databases. International Journal of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science 10, 813–834 (2000)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Korjani, M.M., Mendel, J.M.: Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), Part 2: challenges. Submitted for Presentation at FUZZ-IEEE 2012, Brisbane, AU (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Kosko, B.: Neural Networks and Fuzzy Systems: A Dynamical Systems Approach to Modeling Machine Intelligence. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  9. McCluskey, E.J.: Introduction to the Theory of Switching Circuits. McGraw-Hill, New York (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Mendel, J.M.: fsQCA: Dialog Between Jerry M. Mendel and Charles C. Ragin, USC-SIPI Report 411 (March 2011), http://www.compasss.org/pages/resources/emailmendel.pdf

  11. Mendel, J.M.: On Charles Ragin’s fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Presented at the World Conference on Soft Computing, San Francisco (May 2011)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Mendel, J.M., Wu, D.: Perceptual Computing: Aiding People in Making Subjective Judgments. John Wiley and IEEE Press, Hoboken (2010)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  13. Mendel, J.M., Korjani, M.: Charles Ragin’s Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) Used for Linguistic Summarizations (2011) (submitted for publication)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mendel, J.M., Korjani, M.: Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), part 1: mathematical description. Submitted for Presentation at FUZZ-IEEE 2012, Brisbane, AU (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Mendel, J.M., Korjani, M.: Fast fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fast fsQCA). Submitted for Presentation at NAFIPS 2012, Berkeley, CA (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Mendelson, E.: Schaum’s Outline of Theory and Problems on Boolean Algebra and Switching Circuits. McGraw-Hill, New York (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Quine, W.V.: The problem of simplifying truth functions. American Mathematical Monthly 59, 521–531 (1952)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  18. Ragin, C.C.: The Comparative Method: Moving Beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. University of California Press, Berkeley (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Ragin, C.C.: Fuzzy-set Social Science. Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Ragin, C.C.: Redesigning Social Inquiry: Fuzzy Sets and Beyond. Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Ragin, C.C.: Reflections on casing and case-oriented research. In: Byrne, D., Ragin, C. (eds.) The SAGE Handbook of Case-Based Methods, ch. 31, pp. 522–534. SAGE Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks (2009)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  22. Ragin, C.C., Sonnett, J.: Between complexity and parsimony: limited diversity, counterfactual cases and comparative analysis. In: Kropp, S., Minkenberg, M., (eds.) Vergleichen in der Politikwissenschaft. VS Verlag for Sozialwissencahften, Wiesbaden

    Google Scholar 

  23. Rihoux, B., Ragin, C.C. (eds.): Configurational Comparative Methods: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Related Techniques. SAGE, Los Angeles (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Wu, D., Mendel, J.M.: Linguistic summarizations using IF-THEN rules and interval type-2 fuzzy sets. IEEE Trans. on Fuzzy Systems 19, 136–151 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Yager, R.R.: A new approach to the summarization of data. Information Sciences 28, 69–86 (1982)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  26. Yager, R.R.: On linguistic summaries of data. In: Piatetsky-Shapiro, G., Frawley, B. (eds.) Knowledge Discovery in Databases, pp. 347–363. MIT Press, Cambridge (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Yager, R.R.: Linguistic summaries as a tool for database discovery. In: Proc. FUZZ-IEEE 1995/IFES 1995, Yokohama, Japan, pp. 79–82 (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Yager, R.R.: Database discovery using fuzzy sets. International Journal of Intelligent Systems 11, 691–712 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Mendel, J.M. (2013). The Essence of Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). In: Yager, R., Abbasov, A., Reformat, M., Shahbazova, S. (eds) Soft Computing: State of the Art Theory and Novel Applications. Studies in Fuzziness and Soft Computing, vol 291. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-34922-5_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-34922-5_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-34921-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-34922-5

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics