POL SCI 3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Dependent And Independent Variables
Document Summary
Two variables are related if certain values of one variable tend to coincide with certain values of the other variable. If the values of one variable produce the values of the other variable, the relationship is a causal relationship. A theory in its simplest form usually consists of three things: The assertion of a causal relationship differs from the mere assertion of a relationship. We are not always justified in making a causal interpretation when two phenomena tend to coincide. Winter does not cause spring, although the one follows the other. To qualify as a causal relationship, the coincidence of two phenomena must include the idea that one of them produces the other. In general, economists think that if central banks are relatively independent of political control, they will use monetary policy more aggressively to fight inflation. Certainly, where central banks are independent, inflation is low. Three countries with the most politicized banks had averaged almost 8% inflation from 1955-1985.
