POPPERS SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS AND CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGY

This article assesses the value of Karl Popper's situational analysis for contemporary sociology. We maintain that this element of Popper's social science methodology has been largely neglected by sociologists and suggest that this is because it is borrowed from economics. As suc h, situational analysis has much in common with recent attempts to int roduce rational choice in sociology. Our main question is this: What i s the contribution of situational analysis to the current debate about rational choice in sociology? Our answer is that Popper has little to add to this debate. His formulation of situational analysis is too ge neral and too vague to be much of a guide to research. Among other thi ngs, situational analysis fails to pay due attention to interests and to social interaction in the explanation of social phenomena. On the p ositive side, we notice that Popper does include social institutions a s the most important element in individuals' situations.