Field Experiments: A Bridge Between Lab and Naturally-Occurring Data

John List ()

No 12992, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Laboratory experiments have been used extensively in economics in the past several decades to lend both positive and normative insights into a myriad of important economic issues. This study discusses a related approach that has increasingly grown in prominence of late--field experiments. I argue that field experiments serve as a useful bridge between data generated in the lab and empirical studies using naturally-occurring data. In discussing this relationship, I highlight that field experiments can yield important insights into economic theory and provide useful guidance to policymakers. I also draw attention to an important methodological contribution of field experiments: they provide an empirical account of behavioral principles that are shared across different domains. In this regard, at odds with conventional wisdom, I argue that representativeness of the environment, rather than representative of the sampled population, is the most crucial variable in determining generalizability of results for a large class of experimental laboratory games.

JEL-codes: C9 C90 C91 C92 C93 D01 H41 Q5 Q51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp and nep-pbe
Date: 2007-03
Note: PE EEE
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Journal Article: Field Experiments: A Bridge between Lab and Naturally Occurring Data (2007)
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