Abductive Analysis and Analytical Induction: Similar Origins but Different Goals for Social Research

Abstract What is the purpose of social science research? We argue that different data analytical approaches lead to fundamentally different endpoints. We examine the convergence and similarities between abductive analysis and Florian Znaniecki’s sociological method of analytical induction. Both approaches originated in a similar intellectual and historical climate and share similar methodological precepts such as recognizing the transformative analytical potential of negative cases and an iterative refinement of analytical categories throughout the research process. However, the aims of the analysis are different: analytical induction aims for causal explanations and typification of social systems while abductive analysis aims for theory discovery.