Many social science concepts are defined by their constituent dimensions, not caused by them.

Evidence

Second, in contrast, I discuss the ontological—noncausal—view of concepts. Here the basicand secondary-level dimensions are not causes but constitute what the phenomenon is. For example, to have competitive elections is not a symptom of democracy, it is not caused by democracy, but rather it constitutes what democracy is. I do not think that the factor analytic approach is problematic in that intelligence causes one to score higher on IQ tests. Clearly, symptoms are caused by diseases; however, what the disease is differs from what the symptoms are. I suggest that for many concepts that political scientists and sociologists are interested in the ontological view makes more sense. — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts, 132

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes the ontological (constitutive) view of concepts from the causal/symptom view; competitive elections constitute rather than result from democracy.
• XREF: Connects to the book’s earlier debate over Sartori’s classical vs. radial categories and to measurement literature on formative versus reflective indicators.