The primary aim of this paper is to show how graphical models can be used as a mathematical language for integrating statistical and subject-matter information. In particular, the paper develops a principled, nonparametric framework for causal inference, in which diagrams are queried to determine if the assumptions available are sufficient for identifying causal effects from nonexperimental data. If so the diagrams can be queried to produce mathematical expressions for causal effects in terms of observed distributions; otherwise, the diagrams can be queried to suggest additional observations or auxiliary experiments from which the desired inferences can be obtained. Key words: Causal inference, graph models, interventions treatment effect 1 Introduction The tools introduced in this paper are aimed at helping researchers communicate qualitative assumptions about cause-effect relationships, elucidate the ramifications of such assumptions, and derive causal inferences from a combination...

This paper aims at assisting empirical researchers benefit from recent advances in causal inference. The paper stresses the paradigmatic shifts that must be undertaken in moving from traditional statistical analysis to causal analysis of multivariate data. Special emphasis is placed on the assumptions that underly all causal inferences, the languages used in formulating those assumptions, and the conditional nature of causal claims inferred from nonexperimental studies. These emphases are illustrated through a brief survey of recent results, including the control of confounding, the assessment of causal effects, the interpretation of counterfactuals, and a symbiosis between counterfactual and graphical methods of analysis.

This paper reviews recent advances in the foundations of causal inference and introduces a systematic methodology for defining, estimating and testing causal claims in experimental and observational studies. It is based on non-parametric structural equation models (SEM) – a natural generalization of those used by econometricians and social scientists in the 1950-60s, and provides a coherent mathematical foundation for the analysis of causes and counterfactuals. In particular, the paper surveys the development of mathematical tools for inferring the effects of potential interventions (also called “causal effects” or “policy evaluation”), as well as direct and indirect effects (also known as “mediation”), in both linear and non-linear systems. Finally, the paper clarifies the role of propensity score matching in causal analysis, defines the relationships between the structural and

In this paper we study the identifiability of nonparametric models, that is, models in which both the functional forms of the equations and the probability distributions of the disturbances remain unspecified. Identifiability in such models does not mean uniqueness of parameters but rather uniqueness of the set of predictions of interest to the investigator. For example, predicting the effects of changes, interventions, and control. We provide sufficient and necessary conditions for identifying a set of causal predictions of the type: "Find the distribution of Y , assuming that X is controlled by external intervention", where Y and X are arbitrary variables of interest. Whenever identifiable, such predictions can be expressed in closed algebraic form, in terms of observed distributions. We also show how the identifying criteria can be verified qualitatively, by inspection, using the graphical representation of the structural model. When compared to standard identifiability tests of lin...

As an extension of an overview paper [Pan and McMichael, 1997] on information fusion and Causal Probabilistic Networks (CPN), this paper formalizes kernel algorithms for probabilistic inferences upon CPNs. Information fusion is realized through updating joint probabilities of the variables upon the arrival of new evidences or new hypotheses. Kernel algorithms for some dominant methods of inferences are formalized from discontiguous, mathematics-oriented literatures, with gaps lled in with regards to computability and completeness. In particular, possible optimizations on causal tree algorithm, graph triangulation and junction tree algorithm are discussed. Probanet has been designed and developed as a generic shell, or say, mother system for CPN construction and application. The design aspects and current status of Probanet are described. A few directions for research and system development are pointed out, including hierarchical structuring of network, structure decomposition and adaptive inference algorithms. This paper thus has a nature of integration including literature review, algorithm formalization and future perspective.

F28.92> y 2 and x 1 were fixed" using the model described in (1), the result does not match the interpretation advanced by Goldberger. Specifically, assuming u 1 and u 2 are zero-mean disturbances (independent on X 1 and X 2 ), Wermuth finds E(Y 1 j Y 2 = y 2 ; X 1 = x 1 ) 6= a 1 y 2 + a 2 x 1 (unless further assumptions are made) and concludes that "the parameters in (1) cannot have the meaning Arthur Goldberger claims they have." 1 This exchange between a statistician and an economist exemplifies the long history of tension between regression analysis and structural equations modeling, which dates back to the inception of the latter by Wright [27],