El efecto causal como núcleo integrador del pluralismo metodológico en las ciencias sociales
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This article analyzes recent advances in analytical frameworks within the social sciences, with emphasis on the central role that the causal effect has acquired as a unifying principle between qualitative and quantitative approaches. Drawing on a theoretical review of key works, it demonstrates how a methodological convergence has emerged, enabling the traditional dichotomy between statistical methods and case studies to be overcome. The core argument holds that both approaches serve a common purpose: the rigorous explanation of complex social phenomena. Three fundamental transformations are identified. First, a conceptual expansion of the causal effect, which no longer depends exclusively on covariance, but instead incorporates causal configurations, trajectories, and mechanisms. Second, the emergence of a reflexive methodological pluralism, which allows for the strategic combination of techniques, designs, and sources of evidence under shared standards of inference. Third, the strengthening of a critical epistemology that logically integrates concepts, indicators, and procedures. These findings lead to the conclusion that the causal effect has become a common axis through which methodological diversity in the social sciences can be integrated without sacrificing scientific rigor. The articulation between qualitative and quantitative logics enhances explanatory power and promotes a more reflective, robust, and relevant social science in the face of contemporary challenges
DOI: 10.71068/yq8g5522
Author: Javier Chiliquinga Amaya
Institution: Universidad Estatal de Milagro
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4411332024