The Complexity Perspective on the Sociological Micro-Macro-Problem

In the sociological literature, there is an increasing number of contributions with an approach inspired by the field of complexity science. Here, I identify important commonalities between typical sociological research problems and phenomena studied by complexity researchers, arguing that both fields focus on macro-phenomena that emerge from the behavior of micro-entities. Next, I compare the approach of complexity science with prominent methodological approaches to sociology. I argue that complexity research shares core principles with both structural and structural-individualistic approaches to sociology. However, in particular the approach put forward by analytical sociologists overlaps on the crucial dimensions with complexity research.