Causal Mechanisms and Social Change: An Interdisciplinary Framework

The world appears increasingly complex. Events intertwine in unpredictable ways, and explanations often seem to go in circles—detailed yet ineffective, rich in data but lacking decisive insights. Yet the need to understand social processes and intervene in them has never been more urgent. This book adopts a countercurrent approach: the search for sufficient causes through the methodology of causal mechanisms. Rather than getting lost in an endless array of variables, it focuses on identifying the key factors that, once determined, make it possible to explain change with precision and to guide action with awareness. The result is a repertoire of 47 causal mechanisms, applicable at different levels of social reality, from individuals to institutions.