This chapter focuses on causal mechanisms. What aspect(s) of the university experience generates liberalizing effects? We begin by introducing three mechanisms that seem to promise broad applicability: economics, empowerment, and socialization. We argue that the latter offers the most compelling explanation. However, this is a difficult claim to establish empirically. In the concluding section, we discuss the difficulty of reaching a determination on the question of mechanisms, noting the many methodological obstacles that stand in the way.