Identifying communication spillovers in lab in the field experiments

Alexander Coutts

NOVAFRICA Working Paper Series from Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics, NOVAFRICA

Abstract: The use of lab in the field experiments has increased dramatically, given benefits of studying relevant populations. Conducted in environments where researchers must relinquish the control a standard laboratory o ers, they raise the specter of communication from past to future participants, posing problems for inference. While researchers may take steps to avoid spillovers, little is known about the mechanics of such spillovers in lab in the field settings, nor to what extent they may bias inference. In rural villages participating in public goods games in Rwanda, I recover estimates of these spillovers by matching villages on all available pre-study observables, comparing those with and without communication opportunities. I find communication led to substantial unanticipated increases in cooperation, driven by conditional cooperators. I conclude with advice to manage potential bias from spillovers.

Keywords: Lab experiments; public goods games; field experiments; development; Rwanda; East Africa; spillovers; information transmission; social learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 65 pages
Date: 2019
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp
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Related works:
Journal Article: Identifying communication spillovers in lab-in-the-field experiments (2022)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:unl:novafr:wp1903

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