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ID148658
Title ProperExplaining causal findings without bias
Other Title Informationdetecting and assessing direct effects
LanguageENG
AuthorAVIDIT ACHARYA (a1), MATTHEW BLACKWELL (a2) and MAYA SEN (a2) ;  Acharya, Avidit ;  Sen, Maya ;  Blackwell, Matthew
Summary / Abstract (Note)Researchers seeking to establish causal relationships frequently control for variables on the purported causal pathway, checking whether the original treatment effect then disappears. Unfortunately, this common approach may lead to biased estimates. In this article, we show that the bias can be avoided by focusing on a quantity of interest called the controlled direct effect. Under certain conditions, the controlled direct effect enables researchers to rule out competing explanations—an important objective for political scientists. To estimate the controlled direct effect without bias, we describe an easy-to-implement estimation strategy from the biostatistics literature. We extend this approach by deriving a consistent variance estimator and demonstrating how to conduct a sensitivity analysis. Two examples—one on ethnic fractionalization’s effect on civil war and one on the impact of historical plough use on contemporary female political participation—illustrate the framework and methodology.
`In' analytical NoteAmerican Political Science Review Vol. 110, No.3; Aug 2016: p.512-529
Journal SourceAmerican Political Science Review 2016-09 110, 3
Key WordsPolitical Participation ;  Causal Findings ;  Detecting and Assessing ;  Direct Effects