Advances in Experimental Political Science

Description

Experimental political science has changed. In two short decades, it evolved from an emergent method to an accepted method to a primary method. The challenge now is to ensure that experimentalists design sound studies and implement them in ways that illuminate cause and effect. Ethical boundaries must also be respected, results interpreted in a transparent manner, and data and research materials must be shared to ensure others can build on what has been learned. This book explores the application of new designs; the introduction of novel data sources, measurement approaches, and statistical methods; the use of experiments in more substantive domains; and discipline-wide discussions about the robustness, generalizability, and ethics of experiments in political science. By exploring these novel opportunities while also highlighting the concomitant challenges, this volume enables scholars and practitioners to conduct high-quality experiments that will make key contributions to knowledge.

James N. Druckman is the Payson S. Wild Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and, with Donald Green, helped found the Experimental Research section of the American Political Science Association. He also is currently the co-Principal Investigator for Time-sharing Experiments in the Social Sciences, and co-authored the book Who Governs? Presidents, Public Opinion, and Manipulation. Donald P. Green is the J.W. Burgess Professor of Political Science at Columbia University. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and, with James Druckman, helped found the Experimental Research section of the American Political Science Association. He also co-founded the scholarly consortium of experimental researchers, Evidence in Governance and Politics, and co-authored the textbook Field Experiments: Design, Analysis, and Interpretation.

"Druckman and Green's Advances in Experimental Political Science is essential reading if one wants to understand some of the most cutting-edge research in the discipline. They have assembled a veritable "Dream Team" of contributors across multiple sub-fields for this important volume. I not only highly recommend it, but I also anticipate citing it for many years to come." Vincent L. Hutchings, The University of Michigan "This compilation of top-notch essays defines the stakes of, the standards for, and the terms of the debate surrounding one of the primary methods of political science: experiments. As the variety of authors and topics in this book demonstrates, experiments are now used with sophistication across subfields of political science and among practitioners working on important political and policy questions. Readers with all levels of experience will learn cutting edge practices and find a nuanced discussion of new opportunities and challenges for experimentation." Betsy Levy Paluck, Princeton University "This book contains the most comprehensive review of experimental political science ever assembled. Its pages reveal the incredible progress of recent years and signals innovations to come. Collectively, the book describes a scholarly revolution that empowers researchers to convert theory to action and improve quality of life for people all over the world. This book reflects political science at its best: dynamic, methodologically diverse, and providing insights that are available from nowhere else." Arthur Lupia, University of Michigan "Over the last years, the growth of randomized experiments-in the field, the lab, and in surveys-has breathed new life into empirical political science. Jamie and Don have assembled the discipline's leading methodologists to summarize advances in the design, data, and analysis of experiments and to answer critical questions about their generalizability and ethics in the social sciences. In this book, political scientists of all stripes will find the tools they need to conduct cutting-edge experiments and the knowledge to use those tools effectively and responsibly." Dominik Hangartner, ETH Zurich