Although sociology is now an established discipline its explanatory power still lags behind other disciplines like social psychology and economics. In sociology, ‘grand’ theory, exemplified by the work of T. Parsons and N. Luhmann, and empirical research that is at best based on middle-range theories are still of major importance in the field. The present book advances a different approach: ‘The main message of the book is that a path must be hewn between the eclectic empiricism of variable-based sociology and the often vacuous writings of the “grand” social theorists’ (1). Hedström calls this approach ‘analytical sociology’: it ‘seeks to explain complex social processes by carefully dissecting them and then bringing into focus their most important constituent components. The approach focuses on traditional sociological concerns … It is an approach that seeks precise,...