Schneider, Carsten Q.Rohlfing, Ingo2023-06-162023-06-1620191424-7755, 1662-637010.1111/spsr.12382http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/13977Set-theoretic multimethod research (SMMR) using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) formalizes the choice of cases based on a truth table analysis. We make three recommendations for improving SMMR. First, current standards can lead to faulty case selection if causal inference on a conjunction is the goal. Case selection needs to take into account that the non-members of a conjunction might be empirically diverse and that only selected types of non-members are ideal for causal inference. Second, we formally show that cases with similar fuzzy-set memberships in a term and the outcome are the superior choice for process tracing. They minimize the expected membership in the mechanism and make it most difficult to pass a hypothesis test. Third, we propose formulas that comply with all SMMR principles and identify the best pairs of cases for analysis. We illustrate our arguments with a study of the effectiveness of sanctions against authoritarian regimes.engCC BY-NC-ND 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Journal articlehttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spsr.12382