Constructing Social Theories - by Arthur L Stinchcombe (Paperback)

About the Book

Constructing Social Theories presents to the reader a range of strategies for constructing theories, and in a clear, rigorous, and imaginative manner, illustrates how they can be applied. Arthur L. Stinchcombe argues that theories should not be invented in the abstract or applied "a priori" to a problem but should be dictated by the nature of the data to be explained. This work was awarded the Sorokin prize by the American Sociological Association as the book that made an outstanding contribution to the progress of sociology in 1970."

Book Synopsis

Constructing Social Theories presents to the reader a range of strategies for constructing theories, and in a clear, rigorous, and imaginative manner, illustrates how they can be applied. Arthur L. Stinchcombe argues that theories should not be invented in the abstract--or applied a priori to a problem--but should be dictated by the nature of the data to be explained. This work was awarded the Sorokin prize by the American Sociological Association as the book that made an outstanding contribution to the progress of sociology in 1970.

From the Back Cover

This book presents to the reader a range of strategies for constructing theories, and in a clear, rigorous, and imaginative manners, illustrates how they can be applied.

About the Author

Arthur L. Stinchcombe is professor of sociology, political science, and organization behavior at Northwestern University. He is the author of numerous books, including Theoretical Methods in Social History; Economic Sociology; and Stratification and Organization.