A Systematic Review of Field Experiments in Public Administration

Abstract

Field experiments have become popular in public administration. By allowing for the identification of causal effects in realistic settings, field experiments may become central in several research agendas of relevance to the field. Conducting field experiments is difficult and problems often occur along the way. However, researchers new to the method have few resources in public administration to consider the problems that arise when conducting field experiments. This systematic review identifies 42 field experiments in public administration and serves as an introduction to field experiments in public administration. The article discusses how field experiments developed over time and highlights trends in field experimentation in public administration. It then discusses issues to consider when designing field experiments. Among these are costs, practicality, ethics, and validity. Finally, the authors suggest a future research agenda for public administration field experiments. Evidence for Practice • Field experiments have high value for public administration scholars and practitioners, as they may allow for causal inference in real-world settings. • Field experiments are often difficult to conduct. • Researchers and practitioners conducting field experiments should consider, among other things, the costs, practicality, ethics, and validity of their studies.

How Do Citizens Assess Street‐Level Bureaucrats’ Warmth and Competence? A Typology and Test

“…Hence, though our findings likely generalize to other low‐information settings, experimental replications of our findings are needed to assess the implications for the external validity. Replications using field experiments and thus real‐life interactions will be particularly fruitful (for an overview, see Hansen and Tummers ).…”

Designing to minimize the administrative burden of trash disposal: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in New York City public housing

“…Recently, the administrative burden framework and insights from behavioral science have been applied to improve compliance with housing regulations where burdensome administrative processes can also make it difficult for those who otherwise want to follow the rules to comply (Linos, Quan, & Kirkman, 2020). Such field experiments may allow for identifying the causal effects of reducing burdens to individuals in realistic public administration settings (Hansen & Tummers, 2020;Jilke, Walle, & Kim, 2016) Here we provide empirical results from a behavioral intervention to reduce administrative burden in one of the most basic, everyday public services -trash disposal -which requires an element of active co-production on the part of citizens to be successful (Alford, 2009). Unlike the individual benefits conferred by participation in many public welfare programs, the benefits of this public service collaboration between administrators and residents are experienced collectively; effective trash disposal results in a cleaner environment for the whole community.…”

Managing Algorithms for Public Value

“…This type of experiments enables policy makers and researchers to discern the advantages and adverse effects the implementation of an algorithms has in practice. Simultaneously, testing the effects of an algorithm in a real world setting therefore requires careful consideration costs, ethics and validity (Hansen & Tummers, 2020). The implementation of algorithms in certain policy domains such as national security or a social safety net do not permit the same type of learning as for example increasing production efficiency (Bozeman, 2007, pp.…”