Causal mechanism and explanation in social science

Arbeitspapier

In the social sciences, the development of a specific social event or structure is often explained by a statistical correlation between an independent variable and a variable assumed to be dependent upon it. This mode of explanation is contested by a methodology of causal reconstruction that operates with the concept of mechanisms. A mechanism is a process in which a set of linked steps leads from initial conditions to an outcome or effect. Mechanisms are general concepts, subjecting individual cases to a general category. Except for the literature dealing specifically with the concept, the term 'mechanism' is often used without definition of its substantive content; there is no agreement with respect to the unique or plural character of the initial conditions, nor to the structure of the causal path leading to a specific outcome. Nevertheless, mechanisms have played a crucial role in detailed causal analysis of complex historical events, such as the financial crisis of 2008 and German unification of 1989.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: MPIfG Discussion Paper ; No. 20/7

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie, Anthropologie
• Subject: causal reconstruction ; finance crisis ; German unification ; mechanism ; deutsche Vereinigung ; Finanzkrise ; kausale Rekonstruktion ; Mechanismen

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Mayntz, Renate
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
• (where): Cologne
• (when): 2020

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/218729
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET