Ackermans, Lennart (2022) Causal bias in measures of inequality of opportunity. [Preprint]

Preview

Text Inequality_of_opportunity_20220523.pdf Download (348kB) | Preview

Abstract

In recent decades, economists have developed methods for measuring the country-wide level of inequality of opportunity. The most popular method, called the ex-ante method, uses data on the distribution of outcomes stratified by groups of individuals with the same circumstances, in order to estimate the part of outcome inequality that is due to these circumstances. I argue that these methods are potentially biased, both upwards and downwards, and that the unknown size of this bias could be large. To argue that the methods are biased, I show that they ought to measure causal or counterfactual quantities, while the methods are only capable of identifying correlational information. To argue that the bias is potentially large, I illustrate how the causal complexity of the real world leads to numerous non-causal correlations between circumstances and outcomes and respond to objections claiming that such correlations are nonetheless indicators of unfair disadvantage, that is, inequality of opportunity.

---

Export/Citation:

EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL

Social Networking:

Share |

---

Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Ackermans, Lennart ackermans@esphil.eur.nl 0000-0003-0071-2270
Keywords:	equality of opportunity, confounding, causal modelling
Subjects:	General Issues > Causation Specific Sciences > Economics General Issues > Ethical Issues General Issues > Science and Society
Depositing User:	Lennart Ackermans
Date Deposited:	26 May 2022 02:10
Last Modified:	26 May 2022 02:10
Item ID:	20662
Subjects:	General Issues > Causation Specific Sciences > Economics General Issues > Ethical Issues General Issues > Science and Society
Date:	23 May 2022
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/20662

Available Versions of this Item

• Causal bias in measures of inequality of opportunity. (deposited 26 May 2022 02:10) [Currently Displayed]
  • Causal bias in measures of inequality of opportunity. (deposited 20 Sep 2022 22:14)

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Actions (login required)

View Item