The Foundations of Causal Inference
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6169976 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Judea Pearl (University of California, Los Angeles, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 75-149 |
| Publication date | 2010-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociological Methodology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0081-1750 • E-ISSN: 1467-9531 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9531.2010.01228.x |
| OpenAlex | W2126683099 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 49 |
| References cited | 103 |
This paper reviews recent advances in the foundations of causal inference and introduces a systematic methodology for defining, estimating, and testing causal claims in experimental and observational studies. It is based on nonparametric structural equation models (SEM)—a natural generalization of those usedby econometricians and social scientists in the 1950s and 1960s, which provides a coherent mathematical foundation for the analysis of causes and counterfactuals. In particular, the paper surveys the development of mathematical tools for inferring the effects of potential interventions (also called “causal effects” or “policy evaluation”), as well as direct and indirect effects (also known as “mediation”), in both linear and nonlinear systems. Finally, the paper clarifies the role of propensity score matching in causal analysis, defines the relationships between the structural and potential-outcome frameworks, and develops symbiotic tools that use the strong features of both
Causal inference · Causal model · Counterfactual conditional · Counterfactual thinking · Econometrics · Economics · Generalization · Inference · Management science · Matching (statistics · Mathematical economics · Mediation · Nonparametric statistics · Observational study · Outcome (game theory · Propensity score matching · Social science · Sociology · Statistics · Advanced Causal Inference Techniques · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Mathematics · Psychology · Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research · Social Psychology · Statistical Methods and Inference
Causal Analysis, History of
Inferential Meta‐Themes in Organizational Science Research
Statistical Mediation Analysis
Moderator Variable
Structural Equation Modeling
Mediating Variable
Interpretation and identification of causal mediation.
Two-condition within-participant statistical mediation analysis
Eight Myths About Causality and Structural Equation Models
Advances in Mediation Analysis
Graphical Causal Models
Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling in the Journal of Advertising
Income Inequality and Electoral Theories of Polarization
Factorial Survey Experiments in the Sociology of Education. Potentials, Pitfalls, Evaluation
Causal Inference With Spatial Econometric Models
Interpreting the effectiveness of a summer reading program
Beyond pigmentocracy
A Cautious Note on Auxiliary Variables That Can Increase Bias in Missing Data Problems
Devianz und Subkulturen
Health insurance in the United States
Structural Equation Modeling in Organizational Research
An application of the augmented synthetic control method within a target trial framework
Sustainable practices and product quality
Harnessing heterogeneity in behavioural research using computational social science
First- and Second-Order Methodological Developments from the Coleman Report
Integration gaps persist despite immigrants’ value assimilation
Advantages of Monte Carlo Confidence Intervals for Indirect Effects
Wellbeing at home
A graphical method for causal program attribution in theory-based evaluation
Spanking and children's early academic skills
Exploring the role of blood pressure in the black-white disparity in cardiovascular disease mortality
Consecuencias alternativas y asimetría de resultados en la implementación de políticas socioeconómicas
A Design and a Model for Investigating the Heterogeneity of Context Effects in Public Opinion Surveys
On the selection of variables in criminology
Causal Inferences from Digital Behavioral Data
Where do Remittances Go in Household Consumption? Empirical Evidence from Sri Lanka‐Wide Micro‐data
Endogenous Selection Bias
Instrumental Variables in Sociology and the Social Sciences
Qualitative Comparative Analysis in Critical Perspective
Identifying culture as cause
Causal Inference for Dummies
Does Sociology Need Open Science
Why Propensity Scores Should Not Be Used for Matching
Causal inference in political science research
Seeking professional help in health crises
Seven Principles for Assessing Effectively Maintained Inequality
Reversing the symbolic order of discrimination
Deep Learning With DAGs
Graphical Models for Quasi-experimental Designs
Introduction to structural equation models
Structural Equation Models in the Social Sciences
Hunting Causes and Using Them
Causation, Prediction, and Search
Observational Studies
Probabilistic Causality
Causality
Causation, Prediction, and Search
Introduction to Statistical Mediation Analysis
A General Structural Equation Model with Dichotomous, Ordered Categorical, and Continuous Latent Variable Indicators
Structural Equations, Treatment Effects, and Econometric Policy Evaluation1
A new approach to causal inference in mortality studies with a sustained exposure period—application to control of the healthy worker survivor effect
Marginal Structural Models for the Estimation of Direct and Indirect Effects
Does matching overcome LaLonde's critique of nonexperimental estimators?
Structural Equation Methods in the Social Sciences
Causal diagrams for empirical research
Causal Diagrams for Epidemiologic Research
Causal Inference Using Potential Outcomes
The Statistical Implications of a System of Simultaneous Equations
The design versus the analysis of observational studies for causal effects
A critical appraisal of propensity‐score matching in the medical literature between 1996 and 2003
Matching As An Econometric Evaluation Estimator
Principal Stratification in Causal Inference
Identifiability and Exchangeability for Direct and Indirect Effects
On the Application of Probability Theory to Agricultural Experiments. Essay on Principles. Section 9
Limitations of the Application of Fourfold Table Analysis to Hospital Data
Causal Effects in Nonexperimental Studies
Process Analysis
Propensity score methods for bias reduction in the comparison of a treatment to a non-randomized control group
Causal inference in statistics
The central role of the propensity score in observational studies for causal effects
Identification of Causal Effects Using Instrumental Variables
Estimating causal effects of treatments in randomized and nonrandomized studies.
Mediation Analysis
Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies
Structural Equations with Latent Variables
The Theory of Path Coefficients a Reply to Niles's Criticism
Statistical Inference in Dynamic Economic Models
Using Matching, Instrumental Variables, and Control Functions to Estimate Economic Choice Models
Some Cautions Concerning The Application Of Causal Modeling Methods
A Simple Rule for Generating Equivalent Models in Covariance Structure Modeling
Otis Dudley Duncan's legacy
Cause and Counterfactual
Studies in Econometric Method
Correlation and Causation
Statistical methods in psychology journals
The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research
The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research
When moderation is mediated and mediation is moderated
Specious causal attributions in the social sciences
The Scientific Model of Causality
Recent Developments in the Econometrics of Program Evaluation
The Decomposition of Effects in Path Analysis
Causal Inference in Statistical Models of the Process of Socioeconomic Achievement
Graphs, Causality, and Structural Equation Models
An Introduction to Causal Inference
Direct and Indirect Effects in Linear Structural Equation Models
Structural Equations and Path Analysis for Discrete Data
| Unique citing works | 49 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,5 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2026 (15) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 49 |