Theorizing from Cases: Further Reflections

Since the publication of our 2011 article, social scientists have increasingly criticized induction for not being able to explain how theory is generated from case data and offered alternatives such as abduction, which emphasizes the role of pre-existing theory and the non-linear nature of theorizing processes. Inductive theory building is no longer seen as the only option—narrative or process-based theorizing, thick description, Qualitative Comparative Analysis are viable alternatives, because they combine contextualization with causal explanation.