Laboratory Experiments in Public Policy and Management
本文回顾了实验室实验在公共政策与管理研究中的潜力，分析了其被忽视的原因，并讨论了方法论争议，为研究者提供了如何更好利用这一方法的建议。
This article reviews and evaluates the potential of laboratory experiments in public policy and management (PPM) research. We first consider reasons why laboratory experiments tend to be neglected in PPM research. These include the willingness of researchers to trade away rigor and internal validity to achieve local generalizability, the naturalistic preference for field and/or quasi-experiments, and the tendency to focus upon groups, organizations, and policies—rather than individuals—as units of analysis. Next, we provide an overview of the relatively few PPM studies which have employed laboratory experiments. We then focus on some of the methodological controversies surrounding the use of laboratory experiments and consider their implications for PPM research. We conclude with some suggestions for enhancing the potential for utilizing laboratory experiments as a method of choice for PPM researchers.