Functions and mechanisms in structural-modelling explanation

Wunsch, Guillaume;Mouchart, Michel;Russo, Federica
(2012) , 24 pages

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Authors
  • Wunsch, GuillaumeUCLouvain
    Author
  • Mouchart, MichelUCLouvain
    Author
  • Russo, FedericaUniversity of Kent, United Kingdom
    Author
Abstract
One way the social scientists explain phenomena is by building structural models. These models are explanatory insofar as they manage to perform a recursive decomposition on an initial multivariate probability distribution, which can be interpreted as a mechanism. The social scientists should include the variables in the model on the basis of their function in the mechanism. This paper examines the notion of `function' within structural modelling. We argue that `functions' ought to be understood as the theoretical underpinnings of the causes, namely as the role that causes play in the functioning of the mechanism.
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Wunsch, G., Mouchart, M., & Russo, F. (2012). Functions and mechanisms in structural-modelling explanation (ISBA Discussion Paper 2012/31). https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/204651