Theories of Middle Range

Abstract The concept of “theories of middle range” has been widely accepted in sociology, but it has also attracted some criticism. One objection is that sociological explanations must always be based on general laws, namely at the level of the microfoundations of actors’ actions, as conceived in the model of sociological explanation. Following on from this and from Boudon and Bourricauld’s concept of “structural models” and that of situational logics following Popper, this article revises the concept, focusing on the explanatory power of a sociological explanation for arbitrarily general or particular explananda. Explanatory power is seen as a function of three characteristics of the respective microfoundation: logical content, theoretical complexity, and the range of the respective theory of action as microfoundation. Against this background, different sociological approaches are classified according to these criteria, which can be used to evaluate Merton’s goal: progress in the scope and validity of sociological explanations for objects of all forms of particularity and universality.