Qualitative Comparative Analysis for migration and development research

The document argues that standard quantitative and qualitative methods often fail to capture the non-linear, asymmetric, and multi-layered nature of the migration-development nexus. It presents QCA as a solution that identifies 'necessary and sufficient conditions' and 'equifinality' (multiple paths to the same outcome). The authors provide a guide to QCA implementation—covering calibration, consistency, and coverage—and review three case studies at the macro (EU sanctions in Africa), meso (agricultural change in China), and micro (internet penetration in Ghana) levels to demonstrate the method's utility. It concludes that QCA should be triangulated with other methods to provide robust evidence for policy.

• Standard quantitative statistical methods, such as regression analysis, are limited in the migration-development field because they assume independence, linearity, and symmetry, failing to account for factors that only produce effects in combination with others.
• QCA is uniquely suited for the migration-development nexus because it can identify 'equifinality,' where different configurations of conditions lead to the same outcome, allowing for more nuanced policy recommendations.
• The authors identify a significant methodological gap, noting that while QCA is growing in other social sciences, it is rarely used to study the migration-development nexus; a Scopus search identified only one research paper (Qin and Liao 2016) specifically using QCA for this purpose.
• In a macro-level case study of EU democracy promotion in sub-Saharan Africa, QCA revealed that the absence of donor interests and the absence of good development performance were necessary conditions for the EU to apply strong sanctions.
• A meso-level study in rural China demonstrated that the impact of labour out-migration on agriculture is highly contingent on local contexts, and QCA helped identify specific configurations of policy and non-policy factors that produce positive or negative effects.
• A micro-level study on internet cafes in Ghana found that broad networks, particularly those with international ties, could substitute for formal education and technical skills in achieving business viability.
• The document emphasizes that QCA should not be used in isolation but triangulated with other methods, such as process tracing, in-depth case studies, or large-N statistical techniques, to ensure validity and depth.
• A primary limitation of current QCA methodology is its inability to effectively handle the longitudinal dimension or case variation over time.

APA

Czaika, M., & Godin, M. (2019). Qualitative Comparative Analysis for migration and development research. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/362f93d0-959e-4e4f-9e42-161eefbc932b/MIGNEX-Czaika-and-Godin-QCA-for-migration-and-development-2019-v1_1.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Czaika, Mathias, and Marie Godin. Qualitative Comparative Analysis for migration and development research. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2019. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/362f93d0-959e-4e4f-9e42-161eefbc932b/MIGNEX-Czaika-and-Godin-QCA-for-migration-and-development-2019-v1_1.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Czaika |first1=Mathias |last2=Godin |first2=Marie |title=Qualitative Comparative Analysis for migration and development research |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=August 2019 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/362f93d0-959e-4e4f-9e42-161eefbc932b/MIGNEX-Czaika-and-Godin-QCA-for-migration-and-development-2019-v1_1.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{czaika2019qualitative, author = {Czaika, Mathias and Godin, Marie}, title = {{Qualitative Comparative Analysis for migration and development research}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2019}, month = aug, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/362f93d0-959e-4e4f-9e42-161eefbc932b/MIGNEX-Czaika-and-Godin-QCA-for-migration-and-development-2019-v1_1.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }