Picturing Public Health Law Research: Using Causal Diagrams to Model and Test Theory
Year: 2011
Type: preprint
Abstract: Given the multidisciplinary perspectives of Public Health Law Research (PHLR) and the wide range of topics included in PHLR, the use of commonly-understood pictures to illustrate the ways in which law and health interact can be invaluable (Burris et al., 2010). Ranging from laws that prohibit individual behaviors, to laws that provide authority to act, to laws that regulate organizational practices, PHLR seeks to understand the mechanisms by which laws can improve health; visualizing these mechanisms in diagrams is an important tool for achieving such an understanding. The purpose of this monograph is to review some basic conventions used to create visual models, evaluate relevant examples of models in published PHLR studies, and offer recommendations for constructing clear and informative models.Causal diagrams can do important work in PHLR, insofar as they answer several kinds of questions. They can help to describe ('how things are now'), classify ('why things go together'), explain ('how things really work'), predict ('what will happen if'), and decide ('what you should do now') As conceptual models, CDs not only map the steps by which law may impact health, but also allow a researcher to more carefully consider the set of measures to be used in developing a methodologically rigorous study. Models that exhibit valid correspondence and are appropriately complex yet clear will help PHLR researchers plan and carry out their work. Images that accurately represent the topic at hand may also be useful for policymakers in understanding new evidence for the many ways that laws may improve population health.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Authors: Jeffrey W. Swanson, Jennifer Ibrahim
Institutions: Duke University, Temple University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2284597000