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ERIC Number: EJ1391040
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Aug
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0049-1241
EISSN: EISSN-1552-8294
Available Date: N/A
Optimizing Consistency and Coverage in Configurational Causal Modeling
Baumgartner, Michael; Ambühl, Mathias
Sociological Methods & Research, v52 n3 p1288-1320 Aug 2023
Consistency and coverage are two core parameters of model fit used by configurational comparative methods (CCMs) of causal inference. Among causal models that perform equally well in other respects (e.g., robustness or compliance with background theories), those with higher consistency and coverage are typically considered preferable. Finding the optimally obtainable consistency and coverage scores for data [delta], so far, is a matter of repeatedly applying CCMs to [delta0 while varying threshold settings. This article introduces a procedure called "ConCovOpt" that calculates, prior to actual CCM analyses, the consistency and coverage scores that can optimally be obtained by models inferred from [delta.] Moreover, we show how models reaching optimal scores can be methodically built in case of crisp-set and multi-value data. "ConCovOpt" is a tool, not for blindly maximizing model fit, but for rendering transparent the space of viable models at optimal fit scores in order to facilitate informed model selection--which, as we demonstrate by various data examples, may have substantive modeling implications.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A