Causal inquiry determines which concept and measure are appropriate.

Evidence

Causation is critical here because one needs a methodology for concepts that fits causal hypotheses. There are many hypotheses about the causes and effects of poverty. The concept and measure must reflect this causal interest: that is why consumption is fundamentally incomplete if the concept of interest is poverty. For Ragin and Fiss, not-in-poverty is different from wealthy. — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts and Measurement, 642

Categorization

• APHORISMS: Reads as actual methodological advice: let the causal hypothesis dictate the concept, not the reverse — the measure that suits description will misfire under causal use.