Causality in econometric modeling: From theory to structural causal modeling

Arbeitspapier

This paper examines different approaches for assessing causality as typically followed in econometrics and proposes a constructive perspective for improving statistical models elaborated in view of causal analysis. Without attempting to be exhaustive, this paper examines some of these approaches. Traditional structural modeling is first discussed. A distinction is then drawn between model-based and design-based approaches. Some more recent developments are examined next, namely history-friendly simulation and information-theory based approaches. Finally, in a constructive perspective, structural causal modeling (SCM) is presented, based on the concepts of mechanism and sub-mechanisms, and of recursive decomposition of the joint distribution of variables. This modeling strategy endeavors at representing the structure of the underlying data generating process. It operationalizes the concept of causation through the ordering and role-function of the variables in each of the intelligible sub-mechanisms.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Quaderni - Working Paper DSE ; No. 1143

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Econometrics ; Statistical Simulation Methods: General ; Methodological Issues: General ; Model Construction and Estimation ; Quantitative Policy Modeling
• Subject: structural modeling ; exogeneity ; causality ; model-based anddesign-based approaches ; recursive decomposition ; history-friendly simulation ; transfer entropy

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Mouchart, Michel ; Orsi, Renzo ; Wunsch, Guillaume
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche (DSE)
• (where): Bologna
• (when): 2020

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.6092/unibo/amsacta/6337
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/245885
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET