2023/01/12 by Lauren N. Ross · 1 voice · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Income, Poverty, and Inequality
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/nous.12446
openalex publication_date 2023/01/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract Social scientists appeal to various “structures” in their explanations including public policies, economic systems, and social hierarchies. Significant debate surrounds the explanatory relevance of these factors for various outcomes such as health, behavioral, and economic patterns. This paper provides a causal account of social structural explanation that is motivated by Haslanger (2016). This account suggests that social structure can be explanatory in virtue of operating as a causal constraint, which is a causal factor with unique characteristics. A novel causal framework is provided for understanding these explanations–this framework addresses puzzles regarding the mysterious causal influence of social structure, how to understand its relation to individual choice, and what makes it the main explanatory (and causally responsible) factor for various outcomes.