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Chapter 2 - Causation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 December 2022

Eric W. K. Tsang
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Dallas
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Summary

This chapter starts with a discussion of Hume’s regularity theory of causality, which argues that the idea of necessary connection between two events (i.e., cause and effect) cannot be derived from observing the events and must be derived from an internal impression. Simply put, a causal relation is a mere constant conjunction of events. A counterfactual analysis of causation is based on Hume’s remark that if the cause did not occur, the effect would not exist. Lewis develops the analysis using the concept of possible world. In contrast to Hume’s deterministic view of causation, a probabilistic approach argues that causes raise the probability of − but do not necessarily lead to − their effects. Causal graph modeling and vector spacing modeling are two major techniques of identifying causal relations from empirical data, with the latter being more suitable for management research. A mechanism is a causal chain producing the effect of interest, and process tracing is a technique for identifying mechanisms in qualitative research.

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Chapter
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Explaining Management Phenomena
A Philosophical Treatise
, pp. 32 - 74
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Causation
  • Eric W. K. Tsang, University of Texas, Dallas
  • Book: Explaining Management Phenomena
  • Online publication: 15 December 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009323109.003
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  • Causation
  • Eric W. K. Tsang, University of Texas, Dallas
  • Book: Explaining Management Phenomena
  • Online publication: 15 December 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009323109.003
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Causation
  • Eric W. K. Tsang, University of Texas, Dallas
  • Book: Explaining Management Phenomena
  • Online publication: 15 December 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009323109.003
Available formats
×