Statistical Models and Causal Inference: A Dialogue with the Social Sciences by David A. Freedman
Statistical Models and Causal Inference: A Dialogue with the Social Sciences by David A. Freedman
English | Nov. 30, 2009 | ISBN: 0521195004, 0521123909 | 417 Pages | PDF | 1 MB
English | Nov. 30, 2009 | ISBN: 0521195004, 0521123909 | 417 Pages | PDF | 1 MB
David A. Freedman presents here a definitive synthesis of his approach to causal inference in the social sciences. He explores the foundations and limitations of statistical modeling, illustrating basic arguments with examples from political science, public policy, law, and epidemiology. Freedman maintains that many new technical approaches to statistical modeling constitute not progress, but regress. Instead, he advocates a "shoe leather" methodology, which exploits natural variation to mitigate confounding and relies on intimate knowledge of the subject matter to develop meticulous research designs and eliminate rival explanations.