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Improving Causal Inference: Strengths and Limitations of Natural Experiments

Dunning, Thad·2008·Political Research Quarterly

Abstract

Social scientists increasingly exploit natural experiments in their research. This article surveys recent applications in political science, with the goal of illustrating the inferential advantages provided by this research design. When treatment assignment is less than “as if” random, studies may be something less than natural experiments, and familiar threats to valid causal inference in observational settings can arise. The author proposes a continuum of plausibility for natural experiments, defined by the extent to which treatment assignment is plausibly “as if” random, and locates several leading studies along this continuum.

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Metadata

Authors
Dunning, T.
Venue
Political Research Quarterly
Published
2008-02-09
Volume
61
Issue
2
Pages
282-293
ISSN
  • 1065-9129 (ISSN-L)
  • 1938-274X
OpenAlex
W2026567561
Cited by
352
References
4
FWCI
12.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Improving Causal Inference: Strengths and Limitations of Natural Experiments. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1177/1065912907306470
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Dunning, T. (2008). Improving Causal Inference: Strengths and Limitations of Natural Experiments. Political Research Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912907306470

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