"Empirical Type:" Towards a Multi-Method Analysis of Classification and Concept Building

This paper proposes an integrative approach to classification and concept formation termed “empirical type,” which combines the pattern identification of quantitative clustering with the theoretical conceptualization of qualitative case studies. Bridging these two distinct methodological cultures, the “empirical type” approach seeks to produce typological results that are both empirically grounded and theoretically meaningful. This approach defines typological analysis through three essential components: case classification that facilitates the construction of categorical variables or sets useful for explanatory analyses (Elman 2005; Fiss 2011; Van Baalen 2024); causal or ontological dimensions that articulate distinctions between categories and aid in identifying causal mechanisms across cases (Goertz 2006; Goertz and Mahoney 2005); and a typological system of concepts that provides meaningful interpretations for complex social realities (Collier, LaPorte, and Seawright 2012).