Culture Remains Elusive
评估了《美国社会学评论》中一种识别文化价值观对个体行为因果效应的方法，指出其假设在理想数据下也难以成立，且替代方案降低研究透明度和有效性。
I evaluate a method recently proposed in the American Sociological Review for identifying the causal effects of cultural values on individual behavior. I derive the assumptions of the method and explain why they are unlikely to hold, even when ideal data are available. When ideal data are unavailable, I show that the proposed alternative is not only unnecessary, but diminishes the transparency and validity of empirical research. I conclude with some suggestions regarding the conceptualization and measurement of cultural effects in future research.