Comparative Historical Analysis

Abstract

Abstract Comparative historical analysis (CHA) is a long-standing, influential research tradition, which has generated foundational texts of political science and sociology as well as 20th-century “classics.” It continues to foster scholarship committed to asking “big” questions of substantial real-world importance and developing, in response, novel theoretical frameworks that push beyond conventional wisdoms. CHA’s theory is inductively developed through in-depth case study comparisons of a small number of cases. It prioritizes historical narratives that explicitly and meticulously detail the sequence and ways in which a configuration of factors influences their chosen outcome. CHA is committed not just to establishing but also to unpacking the how of a causal relationship.