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What Can We Learn from Experiments? Understanding the Threats to the Scalability of Experimental Results

Omar Al-Ubaydli¹; John A. List²; Dana Suskind³

¹ Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies, PO Box 496, Manama, Bahrain, and Department of Economics and Mercatus Center, George Mason University (e-mail: ) · ² University of Chicago, 1126 E. 59th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637, and NBER (e-mail: ) · ³ The University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, MC 1035, Chicago IL, 60637 (e-mail: )

Policymakers often consider interventions at the scale of the population, or some other large scale. One of the sources of information about the potential effects of such interventions is experimental studies conducted at a significantly smaller scale. A common occurrence is for the treatment effects detected in these small-scale studies to diminish substantially in size when applied at the larger scale that is of interest to policymakers. This paper provides an overview of the main reasons for a breakdown in scalability. Understanding the principal mechanisms represents a first step toward formulating countermeasures that promote scalability.

DOI

10.1257/aer.p20171115

Volume

107 (5)

Pages

282-286

Language

en

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