Experiments in IPE Research

Over the last decade, experiments have developed from a marginally employed to an increasingly standard method in the study of International Political Economy (IPE). After a short discussion of causal inference and the potential outcomes framework, this chapter outlines different kinds of experiments used to study questions concerning trade, migration, foreign aid, or investment. The chapter thereby not only strives to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art in experimental IPE research but also to outline the different roles or functions experimental studies can fulfill to further our knowledge on IPE. The chapter concludes by critically discussing both advantages and disadvantages of the experimental turn in IPE.