In 2018, I wrote a critical blog post about a study that examined whether welfare reforms caused Brexit. The study, now published in American Economic Review, concludes “that the EU referendum could have resulted in a Remain victory had it not been for austerity”. (It is by the same researcher who tried to make people […]
Tag: causality
Experiments and societal challenges
The randomised controlled trial is seen as the gold standard within the social sciences. I do not disagree. I love well-executed experiments with strong causal identification. If two studies, one experimental and one non-experimental, differ in their conclusions, there is no doubt which study I, all else equal, will side with. Most importantly, I often […]
Causality models: Campbell, Rubin and Pearl
In political science, the predominant way to discuss causality is in relation to experiments and counterfactuals (within the potential outcomes framework). However, we also use concepts such as internal and external validity and sometimes we use arrows to show how different concepts are connected. When I was introduced to causality, it was on a PowerPoint […]
10 method books you should read before you die
In this post you will find my 10 recommendations for method books you should read (or at least buy to impress your so-called friends). I have tried my best to put some order into the list so you can begin from the beginning. However, you should be able to read the books in any order […]