Dear Colleagues, we would like to remind you of the approaching deadline (one week left) for abstract submission for the RC33 Conference 2020 in Nicosia, Cyprus and draw your attention to our session: What About Causal Mechanisms? Analytical Approaches Using Longitudinal Data in Life Course Research The International Conference on Social Science Methodology (RC33): 8th-11th September 2020 in Nicosia, Cyprus http://cyprusconferences.org/rc33/ Session: What About Causal Mechanisms? Analytical Approaches Using Longitudinal Data in Life Course Research http://cyprusconferences.org/rc33/submission/ Deadline for Abstracts: 31st January 2020, abstract (max. 300 words) Session details: Research questions that motivate the great majority of life course studies are longitudinal and causal in nature. After several decades of research that produced numerous cross-sectional findings, the need for studies aiming at disentangling causal effects from non-causal associations, as well as mechanisms from confounding factors is becoming increasingly recognized. Following recent developments in causal theory, new opportunities for innovative life course research are being generated by the increasing availability of complex panel data with individuals observed for several years, belonging to different birth cohorts and socio-economic contexts, affected by period effects, and being nested in multiple structures (e.g., couples, households, families, social networks, school classes, schools, countries). Going beyond the estimation of the gross (causal) effect, researchers are increasingly interested in identifying and examining the intervening mechanisms. However, given the complexity of panel data, this could be very challenging. The purpose of our session is to meet challenges with regard to (causal) mediation analysis using panel data (e.g., within the framework of fixed-effects models, growth curves, DAGs, multilevel longitudinal models, SEM, event history models). We invite submissions examining and testing mediating mechanisms, moderated mediation or applying effect decomposition in life-course related longitudinal studies based on either regression or SEM framework. This could be studies using the age-period-cohort specification, multiple-cohort design or multilevel design. Substantively, we are particularly interested in research on social inequalities and/or similar topics. Best wishes and apologies for cross-posting, Katharina Loter & Oliver Arránz Becker Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg