The Underprovision of Experiments in Political Science

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 589, S. 94-112

Abstract

Field experimentation enables researchers to draw unbiased & externally valid causal inferences about social processes. Despite these strengths, field experimentation is seldom used in political science, which relies instead on observational studies & laboratory experiments. This article contends that political scientists underestimate the value of field experimentation & overestimate their ability to draw secure causal inferences from other types of data. After reviewing the history of experimentation in the discipline, the authors discuss the advantages & disadvantages of field experimental methods. They conclude by describing a number of research topics that seem amenable to experimental inquiry. [Copyright 2003 Sage Publications, Inc.]