Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) Does Exactly What It Should Do When Applied Properly: A Reply to a Comment on NCA*

Abstract

There are two problems with the comment of Thiem about necessary condition analysis (NCA): First, it is based on wrong assumptions about what NCA aims to do. Second, it applies NCA incorrectly. These are critical errors such that the comment’s conclusions about NCA are flawed. Contrary to what the comment states, NCA is a valid method for identifying necessary conditions.