Model-based reasoning in the social sciences

Social scientists use different types of model to reason about social objects and to study social phenomena. In this chapter, I provide an overview of various forms of model-based reasoning in social research, especially quantitative and qualitative. In the course of the chapter, I highlight differences with other variants of model-based reasoning, notably the one inherited from logical positivism, and I discuss the use of experiments and simulation in social contexts. The chapter also investigates intersections between model-based reasoning and other notions, such as explanation and causality, truth and validity.