A Causal Chain is an ordered sequence of two or more causal links connecting multiple issues into a single transmission path.
Causal chains show how pressure, incentives, constraints, or harms move through a civic system over multiple steps.
At this stage, Civic Topology does not yet maintain causal chains as separate full artifact pages. Instead, chains are usually embedded inside:
- Walkthroughs
- Active Topology Area pages
- individual Issue pages
- individual Causal Link pages
This keeps the current implementation simple while still making chains visible where they are useful.
How Chains Are Currently Used
A causal chain may appear inside a walkthrough as the reader-facing route through the map.
Example:
Housing Supply Too Low → Shelter Costs Too High → Inflation Too Persistent → Interest Rates Stay Too High → Mortgage Rates Too High
That chain is developed in the walkthrough:
- Why Low Housing Supply Helps Keep Mortgage Rates High
A causal chain may also appear inside an Active Topology Area page as a compact summary of one developed path.
Example:
Housing Supply Too Low → Investor Competition for Housing Too High → Home Prices Too High → Homeownership Too Inaccessible
That chain is part of the Fed / Rates / Housing Affordability topology area.
Chains vs. Walkthroughs
A causal chain is the analytical structure.
A walkthrough is the reader-facing explanation of that structure.
The chain shows the path:
A → B → C → D
The walkthrough explains why that path matters, what each step means, what the limits are, and how the reader should understand the mechanism.
Current Status
Causal chains are currently treated as embedded analytical structures rather than standalone atomic-content artifacts.
If Civic Topology later needs reusable chain records, search indexes, or formal chain pages, causal chains may become a first-class artifact type with their own pages.
For now, they are documented where they are most useful: inside walkthroughs and Active Topology Areas.