Book Image

Causal Inference and Discovery in Python

By : Aleksander Molak
4.7 (9)
Book Image

Causal Inference and Discovery in Python

4.7 (9)
By: Aleksander Molak

Overview of this book

Causal methods present unique challenges compared to traditional machine learning and statistics. Learning causality can be challenging, but it offers distinct advantages that elude a purely statistical mindset. Causal Inference and Discovery in Python helps you unlock the potential of causality. You’ll start with basic motivations behind causal thinking and a comprehensive introduction to Pearlian causal concepts, such as structural causal models, interventions, counterfactuals, and more. Each concept is accompanied by a theoretical explanation and a set of practical exercises with Python code. Next, you’ll dive into the world of causal effect estimation, consistently progressing towards modern machine learning methods. Step-by-step, you’ll discover Python causal ecosystem and harness the power of cutting-edge algorithms. You’ll further explore the mechanics of how “causes leave traces” and compare the main families of causal discovery algorithms. The final chapter gives you a broad outlook into the future of causal AI where we examine challenges and opportunities and provide you with a comprehensive list of resources to learn more. By the end of this book, you will be able to build your own models for causal inference and discovery using statistical and machine learning techniques as well as perform basic project assessment.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
1
Part 1: Causality – an Introduction
7
Part 2: Causal Inference
14
Part 3: Causal Discovery

Wrapping it up

In this chapter, we discussed the Python causal ecosystem. We introduced the DoWhy and EconML libraries and practiced the four-step causal inference process using DoWhy’s CausalModel API. We learned how to automatically obtain estimands and how to use different types of estimators to compute causal effect estimates. We discussed what refutation tests are and how to use them in practice. Finally, we introduced DoWhy’s experimental GCM API and showed its great capabilities when it comes to answering various causal queries. After working through this chapter, you have the basic skills to apply causal inference to your own problems. Congratulations!

In the next chapter, we’ll summarize common assumptions for causal inference and discuss some limitations of the causal inference framework.