Inductive case studies, which Verba (1967) and Eckstein (1975: 96–99) label configurative-idiographic and which Lijphart (1971) labels atheoretical, are highly descriptive and lacking an explicit theoretical framework to guide the empirical analysis. Inductive case studies often take the form of “total history,” which assumes that everything is connected to everything else and which consequently aims to explain all aspects of a case and their interconnections.
