The Structure of Causal Chains

Abstract

Sociologists are increasingly attentive to the mechanisms responsible for cause-and-effect relationships in the social world. But an aspect of mechanistic causality has not been sufficiently considered. It is well recognized that most phenomena of interest to social science result from multiple mechanisms operating in sequence. However, causal chains—sequentially linked mechanisms and their enabling background conditions—vary not just substantively, by the kind of causal work they do, but also structurally, by their formal properties. In this article, the author examines the nature of causal chains, identifies major structural dimensions along which they differ, and makes a case that a mechanism-based explanation would be enhanced if causal chains and their structures were brought to the analytical forefront.

Social network analysis: Exploring connections to advance military nursing science

“…Organizations are inherently relational comprised of individuals with differing interests, goals, and preferences, interacting, communicating, and making decisions (Borgatti & Ofem, 2010). Scientific and professional groups endeavor to find ways to work better together, particularly if group members are not geographically colocated or come from distinct philosophical paradigms (Cohn, McCloskey, Kovner, Schiffman, & Mitchell, 2018;Gross, 2018;Pruinelli et al, 2020;Smith-Blair & Davis, 2016). Addressing these collaborative challenges can aid in promoting integrative approaches for designing research-related activities compromised by siloed or restricted structures.…”

Rethinking mechanism and process in the geographical analysis of uneven development

“…There is now a very substantial body of social science literature on mechanism as a conceptual apparatus for developing causal explanations in the fields of analytical sociology, political science and the philosophy of social science (e.g. Demeulenaere, 2011;Gross, 2018;Hedströ m and Swedberg, 1998a;Hedströ m and Wittrock, 2009;Manzo, 2014). Gerring (2010Gerring ( : 1500 calls it 'social science's current infatuation with causal mechanisms'.…”

“…In a more modest way, my (re)conceptualization of the mechanism/process distinction seeks to offer a focused discussion of critical realism’s call for causal explanations and to reconcile both process-based thinking and mechanism-based explanation for future geographical analysis. 1 This conceptual distinction between general processes and particular mechanisms also allows economic and political geographers to contribute to the wider conceptual development in the social sciences during the past two decades that have witnessed the rapidly growing significance of mechanism thought in analytical sociology (Gross, 2018; Hedström and Swedberg, 1998a; Hedström and Wittrock, 2009; Manzo, 2014), political science (Checkel, 2006; Elster, 1989; Falleti and Lynch, 2009; Gerring, 2008, 2010; Sil and Katzenstein, 2010; Tilly, 2001) and the philosophy of social science (Bunge, 1997, 2004; Reiss, 2007, 2015; Stinchcombe, 1991). As a substantial intellectual movement in the social sciences, this strong interest in mechanism represents a concerted effort to develop a more robust and explanatory form of contemporary social science to which human geography can make meaningful contributions.…”

Brutalism and the People: Architectural Articulations of National Developmentalism in Mid-Twentieth-Century São Paulo

“…In conversation with this literature and with the recent revival of pragmatism in social theory (Bernstein 2010; Gross 2009; 2018; Joas 1997; Ogien 2015; Reed 2017; Swidler 1986), I propose that there is no direct, unmediated connection between certain forms, styles, and architectural programs, on the one hand, and certain systems of meanings and practices, on the other, particularly political repertoires or ideologies. My analysis also rejects the idea that there is a necessary homology between political ideologies and certain architectural forms.…”

“…I deploy the concept of repertoire in direct conversation with the recent reemergence of pragmatism in sociological theory and cultural and political sociology, especially after Ann Swidler's influential article on cultural repertoires (1986) and more recent works that have been showing how social actors pragmatically deploy socially shared cultural tools, resources, and practices to deal with problems at hand(Gross 2018;Reed 2017). B R U T A L I S M A N D T H E P E O P L E 297…”