Handbook of Field Experiments

Advances in the theory and practice of field experiments have created demand for expert evaluation of their findings.  As field experiments become increasingly ambitious and creative, many seek accessible insights that a comprehensive, critical review can offer. Contributors to this extraordinary volume explain how to conduct experimental research, present a catalog of what the research has found thus far, and describe which areas remain to be explored. The section on methodology should be of particular interest to scholars working with experimental methods.  Among substantive findings, contributors report on a body of results in areas from politics to education to firm productivity, demonstrating the power of these methods while shedding light on issues such as robustness and external validity. Separating itself from circumscribed debates of specialists, this volume surpasses in usefulness the many journal articles and narrowly-defined books written by practitioners.  Balances methodological insights with analyses of principal findings and suggestions for further researchAppeals broadly to social scientists seeking to develop an expertise in field experimentsStrives to be analytically rigorous while written in language accessible to graduate students and non-specialist economists