Causation in Social-Ecological Systems Research

Abstract

The book has so far introduced fundamental ideas about causation, i.e., the relation between cause and effect, from philosophy, particularly those ideas that underlie studies of causation based on quantitative data and statistical methods of causal inference (Chaps. 1–7). Knowledge of these concepts, ideas and associated methods is essential as they are often used in sustainability science studies rooted in the natural sciences, economics and other quantitative social sciences. The book has also introduced the notions of causal explanation and causal mechanisms, which are used more broadly in both quantitative and qualitative studies to explain how a cause brings about an effect (Chap. 8). In this last chapter we want to reflect on causal reasoning from a broader angle, to illustrate the diversity of ways in which sustainability researchers reason about causation, and to highlight the many instances within a research process in which researchers engage in causal reasoning.