Pathways of influences leading to adoption of the Faith,Activity and Nutrition (FAN) program in a statewide initiative

RE-AIM (Reach, effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) and CFIR (Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research) are complementary frameworks guiding research on dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions and factors influencing this process. Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) is an evidence-based program that increased physical activity and fruit and vegetable intake in faith-based settings. The aims of this adoption study were to quantify state-wide church level adoption rates and congregant reach of FAN in accordance with RE-AIM guidelines, and to explore the association of CFIR-derived constructs of the church inner setting and pastor characteristics with FAN adoption. Church recruitment was documented, and data were collected via telephone-administered surveys from 93 pastors in adopting churches and 60 pastors in non-adopting churches. Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) identified combinations of CFIR-derived church and pastor characteristics sufficient for FAN adoption. As defined by RE-AIM, church-level FAN adoption was 11.7 % and congregant-level reach was 20.0 %. Fourteen pathways to adoption were identified; seven of these featured the presence of a culture of concern for congregant health along with openness to new ideas. Results suggest early assessment of these two CFIR-derived inner setting constructs may help identify faith-based organizations predisposed to undertake a comprehensive, environmental intervention to promote congregant health.     

转型经济下民营企业家个体特质、情境对公司创业的驱动机制 ——基于QCA的探索性研究

在中国经济转型的大市场环境下,企业如何将公司创业的意愿成功付诸于创业行动,是学术界广泛讨论的话题。文章利用全国私营企业调查问卷表数据,以102家私营企业作为案例样本,通过模糊集定性比较分析(QCA)方法将企业家个体特质与情境两个层面整合,同时从这两个层面进一步细分,去探讨组态效应对公司创业的多重并发影响机制。经过数据分析可以获知,企业家的社群式身份是高公司创业活跃度的必要条件,且导致高公司创业活跃度有四条组态(路径);导致非高公司创业活跃度的有一条组态(路径),两者之间存在非对称关系。     

中国地方政府创新模式的可持续研究 ——基于“中国政府创新最佳实践”案例（2011—2016）的QCA方法

基于2011—2016年三届“中国政府创新最佳实践”的30个案例,引入定性比较分析（QCA）,从中层理论的视角,分析了在不同条件组合的情形下,地方政府创新实践可持续案例的特点。研究发现,中国地方政府存在三种主要的创新模式及条件组合：一是试点型创新,对应条件组合为创新扩散、学术关注和上级推广;二是地方型创新,对应条件组合为未创新扩散、未学术关注和未技术创新;三是技术型创新,对应条件组合为创新扩散、学术关注和技术创新。     

On the historical determinants of third sector strength: A qualitative comparative analysis

This study proposes a theoretical explanation for the main causes of the third sector's strength. A Boolean comparative analysis based mainly on the theoretical frameworks of Rokkan and Esping-Andersen indicates that the combination of state-supported urban interests and Protestantism are necessary conditions. This result is very close to Max Weber's explanation of civil society which presupposes the facilitating role of the autonomous state. Thus, the empirical results are reinterpreted within the context of a Weberian explanatory framework. The implications of this endeavor within the historical context of developing countries are further explicated.     

Making hermeneutics explicit: how QCA supports an insightful dialogue between theory and cases

Typically, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is praised for its hermeneutic dialogue between theory and empirical cases. However, in reporting research with QCA, these hermeneutic processes will usually not be illustrated. This paper aims at showing clear how QCA induces this dialogue between theory and data. As an illustrative example, I use a research situation dealing with a genuine research question of Legislative Studies: the causes of party unity. Using the classical dichotomous and the MV-QCA approach, the paper mainly shows how to deal productively with contradictory theoretical statements and how stepping from simpler to more complex models adds explanation while still making clear further routes to improve insights into the substantive research topic: both theoretically and empirically. Finally, non-observed configuration (‘logical remainders’) will be used to simplify the resulting theory, and its theoretical and empirical plausibility will be evaluated. The whole paper makes explicit how the QCA approach forces researchers to reveal the dialogue between theory and cases – just as it was intended by the inventor of this analytical tool.     

Factors of regional poverty reduction in Colombia: Do institutional conditions matter?

Colombia has a unique history, which has been heavily conditioned by armed conflict lasting more than 50 years. This study examines the institutional conditions for success and failure in reducing poverty in Colombian departments by considering changes that took place between 2003 and 2014. Fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis identifies the changes in regional conditions that reduce poverty over time. The pathways for poverty reduction are multidimensional, and many involve changes in institutional attributes such as government transparency, absence of violence, and electoral turnout. The framework developed in this paper can be used to monitor necessary and sufficient pathways in regional clusters.     

Doing sociological research: the genre of ‘owning up’

This paper presents an account of an access encounter, and uses this case to reinforce the potential for access meetings to provide a rich source of ethnographic data. The paper originates from one of the authors' experience of negotiating research access in a UK local authority social services department. In response to a summary research proposal sent in advance that expressed interest in social work with men, a gatekeeper expressed his concern during an initial meeting that the author might be a ‘paedophile’ wanting to make contact with others of a similar persuasion. This encounter, and the issue of sexual abuse that it introduced, highlights a number of ethical, epistemological and gendered tensions for ethnographic work, which this paper attempts to negotiate. Some of the potential implications of this specific access meeting are discussed, and set within broader methodological and empirical contexts.     

Effective local governance assisting vulnerable groups: The case of youth not in employment,education or training (NEETs) in Sweden

Youth not in employment, education or training (NEETs) have been analyzed from either individual or macro-structural perspectives, while policy discussions have emphasized national policy. This disregards (i) the substantial variation in NEET rates within countries, and (ii) the importance of local governance for this variation. We examine these issues in Sweden through the lens of interactive governance. Theoretically, four aspects of collective action are highlighted: identification of local NEET subgroups, perceptions of problems and of solutions, and stakeholder relationships. Empirically, an initial multi-level regression analysis of all 290 Swedish municipalities provided the basis for semi-structured interviews regarding local work with NEETs in 20 strategically selected municipalities. The qualitative data are here analyzed using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. The results suggest that municipalities where local governance combines three of the four aspects, namely identifying NEET subgroups and sharing perceptions of problems and of solutions, have lower NEET shares than predicted.     

Analysis of state general sales tax policy: A complementary approach to the effects of causes and the causes of effects

Previous research and theory on state general sales tax policy provide the major factors and components of the sales tax base that affect revenue reliance and tax burden. However, previous research on general sales tax policy has concentrated on individual factors and components of the sales tax base without considering the interdependent and interrelated causes of revenue reliance and tax burden. In addition, regression-based analyses are limited in analyzing the causal conjunctures that affect revenue reliance and tax burden. Thus, this research focused on a complementary approach to the effects of causes and the causes of effects, thereby empirically examining the combined causes of revenue reliance and tax burden through a (fs) QCA analysis of U.S. state data spanning from 2007 to 2010. This study reveals that the combined causes of revenue reliance and tax burden vary as ideal types compared with the effects of real types observed in the panel data analysis. This study contributes to the current literature by examining interrelated and interdependent causal relationships with regard to revenue reliance and tax burden in a complementary manner. State governments must consider the combined effects of causal conjunctures that affect revenue reliance and tax burden.     

Using mixed method approach in measuring effects of training in firms: Case study of the European Social Fund support

Public support of training in firms corresponds to the long-term importance of the quality of human capital in the competitiveness of firms and nations. Thus, the EU supports such training via the European Social Fund (ESF). The evaluation community evaluates the support by using either qualitative or quantitative methods. The simultaneous application of these two approaches is rare. The purpose of this paper is to combine quantitative (counterfactual impact evaluation) and qualitative (qualitative comparative analysis) methods in order to fill the methodological gap. Based on the combination of both approaches, it explores their strengths, complementarity and disadvantages to evaluate public support for employee training in the Czech Republic. The combination of methods makes it possible to identify not only the impacts but also their causes. Linking the ESF support to corporate competitiveness is crucial for demonstrating the effectiveness of public spending.