Abstract

This article reviews recent advances in addressing these empirical identification issues in crosscountry and country-level studies. I argue that, given the formidable empirical difficulties in assessing causal relationships in cross-national data, country-level case studies can serve as a useful and informative complement to cross-national regression studies. However, I also warn that case studies pose a set of additional potential empirical pitfalls which, if not appropriately addressed, can obfuscate rather than clarify the identification of causal mechanisms at work. Therefore, the most sensible way to read case study evidence is as a complement rather than as a substitute to cross-national research. I illustrate these points with reference to recent discussions on the economic effects of sanctions imposed on Venezuela since 2017.

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