Observation and experiment​

10 Mar, 2018 at 19:56 | Posted in Statistics & Econometrics | Comments Off on Observation and experiment​

Paul Rosenbaum’s latest book — Observation and experiment: an introduction to causal inference — is a well-written introduction to some of the most important and far-reaching ideas in modern statistics. With only a minimum of mathematics, ​the author manages to give a lively and interesting​ account of how statisticians try to use statistics to make causal inferences from observational studies and experiments. For non-graduate social science students with no or little ‘technical’ background, this is highly recommended reading. Especially for those who want to get their first grip on the nowadays so influential​ ‘potential outcomes’ paradigm, this is probably the most accessible presentation available. A must-read. That said, there are, of course, critiques that can be waged against that paradigm. But I save that for another post.