Studying Causal Inference in Political Science. The Case of Experiments
Studying Causal Inference in Political Science. The Case of Experiments

Summary/Abstract: This paper touches upon a long discussed issue in research methodology: the problems that arise when trying to make causal inference in observational studies. The starting point of the paper is the fundamental problem of causal inference, defined by Holland (1986) and the counter-factual framework. Given this framework, I analyze the experimental methodology as a possible solution to these problems. I provide a short definition and classification of experiments and discuss their feasibility and utility in measuring causal inference, using examples from the field of political science. I conclude that experiments can indeed surpass some of the most frequent problems with observational studies and that this type of methodology brigs added value to scientific research by allowing the experimenter to have the control and variation that can seldom be found in real life situations.

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