Discussion of "The Blessings of Multiple Causes" by Wang and Blei

TL;DR

This paper critically reviews the deconfounder method for causal inference, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, and explores three potential approaches to improve its limitations.

Contribution

It provides a detailed critique of the deconfounder method and proposes three avenues for enhancing its effectiveness in causal analysis.

Findings

Identifies key advantages of the deconfounder method.

Points out limitations and potential pitfalls.

Suggests three strategies to address these limitations.

Abstract

This commentary has two goals. We first critically review the deconfounder method and point out its advantages and limitations. We then briefly consider three possible ways to address some of the limitations of the deconfounder method.