Final answer:
Max Weber coined the term 'ideal type' to use as a model for comparing and understanding actual social phenomena.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sociologist Max Weber coined the term ideal type in referring to a construct or model that serves as a measuring rod against which actual cases can be evaluated. The ideal type is used as a tool to analyze the complexities of the social world by creating a simplified model that highlights its most significant aspects, while acknowledging that this model itself is an abstraction and not often found in reality as such. By comparing real-world phenomena to this simplified model, sociologists like Weber sought to glean insights into the functioning and development of societies.