Typology (social science research method)

For other uses, see Typology (disambiguation).

Typology is a composite measure that involves the classification of observations in terms of their attributes on multiple variables.[1] Such classification is usually done on a nominal scale.[1] Typologies are used in both qualitative and quantitative research.

An example of a typology would be classification such as by age and health: young-healthy, young-sick, old-healthy, old-sick.

Typological theorizing is the development of theories about configurations of variables that constitute theoretical types.[2] According to Andrew Bennett and Alexander George, typological theories are useful "to address complex phenomena without oversimplifying, clarify similarities and differences among cases to facilitate comparisons, provide a comprehensive inventory of all possible kinds of cases, incorporate interactions effects, and draw attention to... kinds of cases that have not occurred."[2]

  1. ^ a b Earl Babbie (1 January 2012). The Practice of Social Research. Cengage Learning. p. 184. ISBN 1-133-04979-6.
  2. ^ a b George, Alexander L.; Bennett, Andrew (2005). Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences. MIT Press. pp. 233–262. ISBN 978-0-262-30307-1. OCLC 944521872.