Do Natural Field Experiments Afford Researchers More or Less Control Than Laboratory Experiments?

Omar Al-Ubaydli and John List

American Economic Review, 2015, vol. 105, issue 5, 462-66

Abstract: A commonly held view is that laboratory experiments provide researchers with more "control" than natural field experiments. This paper explores how natural field experiments can provide researchers with more control than laboratory experiments. While laboratory experiments provide researchers with a high degree of control in the environment which participants agree to be experimental subjects, when participants systematically opt out of laboratory experiments, the researcher's ability to manipulate certain variables is limited. In contrast, natural field experiments bypass the participation decision altogether due to their covertness, and they allow for a potentially more diverse participant pool within the market of interest.

JEL-codes: C91 C93 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20151013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (39)

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