Causality, Research Design, and Inference Frameworks

This category covers causality frameworks that help researchers argue whether X causes Y and why. It includes the potential outcomes framework and counterfactual reasoning, structural causal models using directed acyclic graphs, and mediation and moderation logic for pathways and conditions. It also includes quasi-experimental design logic, such as difference-in-differences and regression discontinuity, plus process tracing for qualitative causal inference.