Abstract
This article reviews and discusses various ways to strengthen the linkage between mathematical sociology and empirical research. It distinguishes between the use of mathematics in sociology for theory construction and for empirical data analysis, and discusses how the linkage has been made and how it can be strengthened in each category of use. Concerning the use of mathematics for theory construction, the article compares the integrated division of labor between theory construction and empirical research to traditional divisions of labor, emphasizing the relative importance of the former. Concerning the use of mathematics for data analysis, the paper identifies (1) indexing and measurement, (2) mathematical methods for heuristic analysis of qualitative data, (3) substantively motivated statistical models, and (4) hybrids of mathematical and statistical models, as four forms of linkage between mathematical sociology and empirical research, discussing the accomplishment and prospects for the future for each form.
