A Methodological Review of Foran's Analysis of the Islamic Republic of Iran

The technique of Qualitative Comparative Analysis, which is based on the Boolean algebra or the Boolean expansion of John Stuart Mill's nominal comparison, is the implicit methodology of historical-comparative research. By employing this method, The analysts can evaluate different combinations of explanans as the causes of a single effect. Moreover, the Boolean algebra technique in the historical-comparative analysis is a useful means for the analysis of the data-set with Median N (10 to 50 cases). In the present paper, first of all attempts have been made to describe the main characteristics of the Boolean algebra and its application for the qualitative comparative analysis in social sciences. In the next step, Foran's application of the Boolean analysis or his qualitative comparative analysis in studying the Iranian Revolution has been elucidated. As one of the most outstanding researchers in the field of comparative study of the Iranian Revolution, Foran in his three works has applied Boolean algebra or qualitative comparative analysis to provide answers to various questions. Attempts have been made, in the present article, to comprehensively evaluate the results of Foran's three works from the viewpoint of the Boolean methodology.