Regression and Causation: A Critical Examination of Six Econometrics Textbooks
Real-World Economics Review, Issue No. 65, 2-20, 2013
25 Pages Posted: 11 Oct 2013
Date Written: September 10, 2013
Abstract
This report surveys six influential econometric textbooks in terms of their mathematical treatment of causal concepts. It highlights conceptual and notational differences among the authors and points to areas where they deviate significantly from modern standards of causal analysis. We find that econometric textbooks vary from complete denial to partial acceptance of the causal content of econometric equations and, uniformly, fail to provide coherent mathematical notation that distinguishes causal from statistical concepts. This survey also provides a panoramic view of the state of causal thinking in econometric education which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been surveyed before.
JEL Classification: C10, C18
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation