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Causal Assessment in Small‐N Policy Studies
Author(s) -
Steinberg Paul F.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
policy studies journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1541-0072
pISSN - 0190-292X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-0072.2007.00215.x
Subject(s) - normative , causal inference , process tracing , identification (biology) , causal analysis , process (computing) , causality (physics) , outcome (game theory) , ranking (information retrieval) , narrative , causal model , positive economics , management science , policy sciences , computer science , epistemology , political science , econometrics , economics , artificial intelligence , mathematics , mathematical economics , statistics , public administration , philosophy , law , linguistics , biology , operating system , quantum mechanics , botany , physics , politics
The identification of cause‐and‐effect relationships plays an indispensable role in policy research, both for applied problem solving and for building theories of policy processes. Historical process tracing has emerged as a promising method for revealing causal mechanisms at a level of precision unattainable through statistical techniques. Yet historical analyses often produce dauntingly complex causal explanations, with numerous factors emerging as necessary but insufficient causes of an outcome. This article describes an approach that renders complex causal narratives more analytically tractable by establishing measurement criteria for ranking the relative importance of component causes. By focusing on subjectively useful measurement attributes, the approach is well suited to the policy sciences' unique combination of explicitly normative aspirations and a commitment to the systematic assessment of causal claims.