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Changing perceptions about experimentation in economics: 50 years of evidence from principles textbooks

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Tom Lane

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Abstract

Traditionally, economists often argued experiments play little or no useful role in our science. This paper employs a novel approach to track the historical evolution of this doctrine from 1970 to 2019, by constructing a dataset of 278 introductory economics textbooks. Quantitative and qualitative analysis shows that anti-experimental views were dominant and largely unchanged until 2000, but there has since been a trend towards textbooks making positive statements about experimentation. However, remarks that economic experiments are impossible have been (almost) eliminated only in the last decade, evidencing a sluggish change in perceptions. Supplementary interviews with key textbook authors confirm the historical trend of increased enthusiasm towards experiments, and suggest they are now accepted within the economic mainstream. Our findings hold important implications for how the empirical methodology of economics is understood by practitioners and students.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Gunessee S, Lane T

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics

Year: 2023

Volume: 107

Print publication date: 01/12/2023

Online publication date: 01/09/2023

Acceptance date: 26/08/2023

Date deposited: 04/10/2023

ISSN (print): 2214-8043

ISSN (electronic): 2214-8051

Publisher: Elsevier BV

URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2023.102086

DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2023.102086

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