QCAGUI (version 2.4)

intersection: Intersect two expressions

Description

This function takes two QCA expressions (combinations of conjunctions and disjunctions) and finds their intersection.

Usage

intersection(e1 = "", e2 = "", snames = "")

Arguments

e1

String, the first expression to intersect.

e2

String, the first expression to intersect.

snames

A string containing the set names, separated by commas.

Details

The aim of this function is to provide a software implementation of the intersection examples presented by Ragin (1987: 144-147).

It can only deal with expressions using bivalent crisp-set conditions only, it doesn't deal with multivalent crisp-set conditions because it requires additional information about the number of levels in each causal condition.

The two expressions can be formulated in terms of either lower case - upper case notation for the absence and the presence of the causal condition, or use the tilde notation (see examples below). Usage of either of these is automatically detected, as long as both expressions use the same notation.

If the snames argument is provided, the result is sorted according to the order of the causal conditions (set names) in the original dataset, otherwise it sorts the causal conditions in alphabetical order.

References

Ragin, Charles C. 1987. The Comparative Method: Moving beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Examples

if (require("QCA")) {

# in Ragin's (1987) book, the equation E = SG + LW is the result
# of the Boolean minimization for the ethnic political mobilization.

# intersecting the reactive ethnicity perspective (R = lw)
# with the equation E (page 144)
intersection("lw", "SG + LW", snames = "S, L, W, G")

# [1] "SlwG"



# resources for size and wealth (C = SW) with E (page 145)
intersection("SW", "SG + LW", snames = "S, L, W, G")

# [1] "SWG + SLW"


# and factorized
factorize(intersection("SW", "SG + LW", snames = "S, L, W, G"))

# F1: SW(G + L)


# developmental perspective (D = Lg) and E (page 146)
intersection("Lg", "SG + LW", snames = "S, L, W, G")

# [1] "LWg"


# subnations that exhibit ethic political mobilization (E) but were
# not hypothesized by any of the three theories (page 147)
# ~H = ~(lw + SW + Lg)

intersection(deMorgan("lw + SW + Lg"), "SG + LW", snames = "S, L, W, G")

# [1] "sLWG + SLwG"

}