ABSTRACT
This brief but essential chapter sets the analytic frame for understanding the rest of the book. Abduction, as argued, does not entail mechanistic concepts of causation, nor does it operate with the notion of dependent and independent variables. Instead, it points to the constitutive importance of concepts. Core concepts and conceptual distinctions are the basis for being able to detect patterns of similarity and difference, and thereby to ‘map’ a field of research.
