version 3.21

# Interpret SOP/DNF expressions: compute, simplify, expand

## Description

These functions interpret an expression written in sum of products (SOP) or in canonical disjunctive normal form (DNF), for both crisp and multivalue QCA. The function `compute()` calculates set membership scores based on a SOP expression applied to a calibrated data set.

A function similar to `compute()` was initially written by Lewandowski (2015) but the actual code in these functions has been completely re-written and expanded with more extensive functionality (see details and examples below).

The function `simplify()` transforms a SOP expression into a simpler equivalent through a process of Boolean minimization.

Function `expand()` performs a Quine expansion to the complete DNF, or a partial expansion to a SOP expression with equally complex terms.

## Usage

    compute(expression = "", data, separate = FALSE)
    simplify(expression = "", snames = "", noflevels, ...)
    expand(expression = "", snames = "", noflevels, partial = FALSE, implicants = FALSE, ...)

## Arguments

`expression` |  |  |  | String: a QCA expression written in sum of products form.
`snames` |  |  |  | A string containing the sets' names, separated by commas.
`noflevels` |  |  |  | Numerical vector containing the number of levels for each set.
`data` |  |  |  | A dataset with binary cs, mv and fs data.
`separate` |  |  |  | Logical, perform computations on individual, separate paths.
`partial` |  |  |  | Logical, perform a partial Quine expansion.
`implicants` |  |  |  | Logical, return an expanded matrix in the implicants space.
`...` |  |  |  | Other arguments, mainly for backwards compatibility.

## Details

An expression written in SOP - sum of products, is a "union of intersections", for example `A*B + B*~C`. The DNF - disjunctive normal form is also a sum of products, with the restriction that each product has to contain all literals. The equivalent expression is: `A*B*~C + A*B*C + ~A*B*~C`

The same expression can be written in multivalue notation: `A{1}*B{1} + B{1}*C{0}`.

Expressions can contain multiple values for the same condition, separated by a comma. If B was a multivalue causal condition, an expression could be: `A{1} + B{1,2}*C{0}`.

Whether crisp or multivalue, expressions are treated as Boolean. In this last example, all values in B equal to either 1 or 2 will be converted to 1, and the rest of the (multi)values will be converted to 0.

Negating a multivalue condition requires a known number of levels (see examples below). Improvements from version 2.5 allow for intersections between multiple levels of the same condition. For a causal condition with 3 levels (0, 1 and 2) the following expression `~A{0,2}*A{1,2}` is equivalent with `A{1}`, while `A{0}*A{1}` results in the empty set.

The number of levels, as well as the set names can be automatically detected from a dataset via the argument `data`. When specified, arguments `snames` and `noflevels` have precedence over `data`.

The product operator `*` should always be used, but it can be omitted when the data is multivalue (where product terms are separated by curly brackets), and/or when the set names are single letters (for example `AD + B~C`), and/or when the set names are provided via the argument `snames`.

When expressions are simplified, their simplest equivalent can result in the empty set, if the conditions cancel each other out.

## Value

For the function `compute()`, a vector of set membership values. For function `simplify()`, a character expression.

## References

Ragin, C.C. (1987) The Comparative Method: Moving beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Lewandowski, J. (2015) QCAtools: Helper functions for QCA in R. R package version 0.1

## Examples

    # for compute()
    compute("DEV*~IND + URB*STB", data = LF)

     [1] 0.27 0.89 0.91 0.16 0.58 0.19 0.31 0.09 0.13 0.72 0.34 0.99 0.02 0.01 0.03
    [16] 0.20 0.33 0.98

    compute("DEV*~IND + URB*STB", data = LF, separate = TRUE)

       DEV*~IND URB*STB
    1      0.27    0.12
    2      0.00    0.89
    3      0.10    0.91
    4      0.16    0.07
    5      0.58    0.03
    6      0.19    0.03
    7      0.04    0.31
    8      0.04    0.09
    9      0.07    0.13
    10     0.72    0.05
    11     0.34    0.10
    12     0.06    0.99
    13     0.02    0.00
    14     0.01    0.01
    15     0.01    0.03
    16     0.03    0.20
    17     0.33    0.13
    18     0.00    0.98

    # for simplify()
    simplify("(A + B)(A + ~B)")

    S1: A

    # to force a certain order of the set names
    simplify("(URB + LIT*~DEV)(~LIT + ~DEV)", snames = "DEV, URB, LIT")

    S1: ~DEV*LIT + URB*~LIT

    # multilevel conditions can also be specified (and negated)
    simplify("(A{1} + ~B{0})(B{1} + C{0})", snames = "A, B, C", noflevels = c(2, 3, 2))

    S1: B{1} + A{1}C{0} + B{2}C{0}

    # Ragin's (1987) book presents the equation E = SG + LW as the result
    # of the Boolean minimization for the ethnic political mobilization.

    # intersecting the reactive ethnicity perspective (R = ~L~W)
    # with the equation E (page 144)

    simplify("~L~W(SG + LW)", snames = "S, L, W, G")

    S1: S~L~WG

    # resources for size and wealth (C = SW) with E (page 145)
    simplify("SW(SG + LW)", snames = "S, L, W, G")

    S1: SLW + SWG

    # and factorized
    factorize(simplify("SW(SG + LW)", snames = "S, L, W, G"))

    F1: SW(G + L)

    # developmental perspective (D = L~G) and E (page 146)
    simplify("L~G(SG + LW)", snames = "S, L, W, G")

    S1: LW~G

    # subnations that exhibit ethnic political mobilization (E) but were
    # not hypothesized by any of the three theories (page 147)
    # ~H = ~(~L~W + SW + L~G) = GL~S + GL~W + G~SW + ~L~SW

    simplify("(GL~S + GL~W + G~SW + ~L~SW)(SG + LW)", snames = "S, L, W, G")

    S1: ~SLWG + SL~WG

## Author

Adrian Dusa