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]