Explanatory pluralism in political science

Most writers on political science methods seem to suggest that explanation means causal explanation. Certainly, many explanations in the political sciences are causal. However, natural science often provides non-causal explanations, while non-causal explanations are recognized by philosophers of science. Causal inference, in itself, is not a causal explanation; it explains alongside theory. In this paper, we defend explanatory pluralism, arguing that many important explanations in political science are not causal in nature. We identify two important types of non-causal explanation – constitutive explanation (CE) and explanation by constraint (EC) – providing examples from the political sciences literature. We conclude by outlining what we believe non-causal explanation can contribute to political science.