10 September 2014
CIFOR Proposes Methodology to Compare REDD+ Policy Processes
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The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has released a study on the 'Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA),' a methodology for examining different REDD+ policy processes.

The study employs QCA on a variety of case studies, and concludes that the approach is useful even when studies are implemented by different researchers.

CIFOR9 September 2014: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has released a study on ‘Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA),’ a methodology for examining different REDD+ policy processes. The study employs QCA on a variety of case studies, and concludes that the approach is useful even when studies are implemented by different researchers.

The CIFOR study notes that, given the early stage of REDD+ development in most countries, QCA is best used to organize and categorize data from different sources. Yet, according to the report, the continued use of QCA may generate guidance and recommendations on REDD+ design and implementation.

In its analysis, the report identifies a number of factors that could be considered in a QCA on REDD+ policy. Such factors range from pressure on forest resources and the effectiveness of forest governance (remote conditions), to political commitment to REDD+ and inclusiveness of the policy process (proximate conditions).

The study also discusses a number of limitations to QCA including potential bias from the selection of case studies, the need to classify conditions as either fully present or completely absent, and the difficulty in applying a snapshot QCA to REDD+, which is a dynamic process.

Finally, the report notes that QCA can be classified by a small number of case studies (up to 100), a balancing of reduction and complexity in the consideration of causation and case-specific criteria, and the identification of “configurations” that link conditions to outcomes.

CIFOR is part of the CGIAR consortium. [CIFOR News] [Publication: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA): An application to compare national REDD+ policy processes]