Abstract
Field experiments occupy an important middle ground between laboratory experiments and naturally occurring field data. The underlying idea behind most field experiments is to make use of randomization in an environment that captures important characteristics of the real world. Distinct from traditional empirical economics, field experiments provide an advantage by permitting the researcher to create exogenous variation in the variables of interest, allowing us to establish causality rather than mere correlation. In relation to a laboratory experiment, a field experiment potentially gives up some of the control that a laboratory experimenter may have over her environment in exchange for increased realism.
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© 2010 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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List, J.A., Reiley, D. (2010). field experiments. In: Durlauf, S.N., Blume, L.E. (eds) Behavioural and Experimental Economics. The New Palgrave Economics Collection. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230280786_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230280786_19
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-230-23868-8
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