The Misguided Search for Causation in Empirical Legal Studies
9 Pages Posted: 6 Jul 2007 Last revised: 24 Nov 2014
Date Written: July 5, 2007
Abstract
This paper is about one aspect common to most of the methodologies used in empirical legal research: the search for causation. Although it is commonly stated that the purpose of social science research is to discover what causes what, the author questions this assumption. Building on the work of Ronald Coase and Thomas Schelling, the author presents an alternative theory of causation - "reciprocal causation" - and discusses some implications of the Coase-Schelling approach to human interactions for empirical legal research.
Keywords: behavorial strategy, reciprocal causation, Coase, Schelling
JEL Classification: B41, K00
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation