Time and causality in the social sciences
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4355935 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Guillaume Wunsch (0000-0003-4668-3735, Demography, UCLouvain, Belgium), F Russo (0000-0002-1993-9697, University of Amsterdam), Michel Mouchart (0000-0002-2344-5251, UCLouvain, corresponding author), Renzo Orsi (University of Bologna) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 177-204 |
| Publication date | 2022-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Time & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0961-463X • E-ISSN: 1461-7463 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0961463x211029488 |
| OpenAlex | W3098345407 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 39 |
This article deals with the role of time in causal models in the social sciences. The aim is to underline the importance of time-sensitive causal models, in contrast to time-free models. The relation between time and causality is important, though a complex one, as the debates in the philosophy of science show. In particular, an outstanding issue is whether one can derive causal ordering from time ordering. The article examines how time is taken into account in demography and in economics as examples of social sciences in which considerations about time may diverge. We then present structural causal modeling as a modeling strategy that, while not essentially based on temporal information, can incorporate it in a more or less explicit way. In particular, we argue that temporal information is useful to the extent that it is placed in a correct causal structure, thus further corroborating the causal mechanism or generative process explaining the phenomenon under consideration. Despite the fact that the causal ordering of variables is more relevant than the temporal order for explanatory purposes, in establishing causal ordering the researcher should nevertheless take into account the time-patterns of causes and effects, as these are often episodes rather than single events. For this reason in particular, it is time to put time at the core of our causal models
Causal analysis · Causal decision theory · Causal inference · Causal model · Causal reasoning · Causal structure · Cognition · Econometrics · Economics · Epistemology · Generative grammar · Mathematical economics · Phenomenon · Positive economics · Bayesian Modeling and Causal Inference · Computer Science · Mathematics · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Psychology · Artificial Intelligence
The Direction of Time
The life course cube
A contribution to the mathematical theory of epidemics
Causality and Causal Modelling in the Social Sciences
Cycles and Trends in Economic Factors
The Long Waves in Economic Life
Adult Mortality in Matlab, Bangladesh
Do We Necessarily Need Longitudinal Data to Infer Causal Relations
Modelling mechanisms with causal cycles
The Role of Secularization on Marriage and Conception Seasonality Patterns
The Cohort as a Concept in the Study of Social Change
Causal attribution in block-recursive social systems
A multitude of natural, social and individual time
The Problem of Time in Sociology
La notion de cycle en démographie. La fécondité post-transitionnelle est-elle cyclique
Union dissolution and housing trajectories in Britain
The Lexis diagram, a misnomer
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |