Handbook of Field Experiments, Volume 2

Section I. The Challenge of Improving Human Capital

Chapter 1. Impacts and Determinants of Health Levels in Low-Income Countries

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Methodological Section
• 3. Experimental Estimates of the Impact of Health on Individual Productivity
• 4. Environmental/Infrastructural Determinants of Health
• 5. Demand for Health Products and Healthcare
• 6. Supply of Health Care
• 7. Conclusion

Chapter 2. The Production of Human Capital in Developed Countries: Evidence From 196 Randomized Field Experiments

• 1. Introduction
• 2. A Method for Finding and Evaluating Field Experiments
• 3. Evidence From 196 Randomized Field Trials
• 4. Combining What Works: Evidence From a Randomized Field Experiment in Houston
• 5. Conclusion

Chapter 3. Field Experiments in Education in Developing Countries

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Field Experiments in Education—A Short Overview
• 3. Selected Overview of Field Experiments in Education in Developing Countries
• 4. Limitations of Field Experiments and Strategies for Mitigating Them
• 5. Conducting Field Experiments in Education in Developing Countries
• 6. Conclusion

Section II. Designing Effective Social Programs

Chapter 4. Social Policy: Mechanism Experiments and Policy Evaluations

• 1. Introduction
• 2. What Are Mechanism Experiments?
• 3. Why Do Mechanism Experiments?
• 4. When to Do Mechanism Experiments Versus Policy Evaluations?
• 5. Conclusion

Chapter 5. Field Experiments in Developing Country Agriculture

• 1. Introduction
• 2. A Review of FEs in Agriculture
• 3. Agriculture and FEs: A Conceptual Framework
• 4. Agriculture is Different: Implications for the Design and Implementation of FEs
• 5. Discussion: Using FEs to Reveal the Production Function in Agriculture

Chapter 6. The Personnel Economics of the Developing State

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Stylized Facts on the Architecture of the State and the Role of Individuals
• 3. The Selection and Recruitment of Public Officials
• 4. Using Incentives to Improve Performance
• 5. Monitoring Mechanisms and Public Service Delivery
• 6. Towards Smart(er) Governance: the Promise of e-Governance and Other Avenues
• 7. Concluding Thoughts
• Appendix

Chapter 7. Designing Social Protection Programs: Using Theory and Experimentation to Understand How to Help Combat Poverty

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Redistributive Programs
• 3. Missing Insurance Markets
• 4. Behavioral Constraints
• 5. Market Failures Preventing Asset Accumulation
• 6. Ideas Only Go So Far: Implementation Matters Too
• 7. Conclusion: Key Areas for Further Work

Chapter 8. Social Experiments in the Labor Market

• 1. Introduction
• 2. What Are Social Experiments? Historical and Econometric Background
• 3. A More Thorough Overview of Labor Market Social Experiments
• 4. Going Beyond Treatment–Control Comparisons to Resolve Additional Design Issues
• 5. Conclusion

Handbook of Field Experiments, Volume Two explains how to conduct experimental research, presents a catalog of research to date, and describes which areas remain to be explored. The new volume includes sections on field experiments in education in developing countries, how to design social protection programs, a section on how to combat poverty, and updates on data relating to the impact and determinants of health levels in low-income countries. Separating itself from circumscribed debates of specialists, this volume surpasses the many journal articles and narrowly-defined books written by practitioners.

This ongoing series will be of particular interest to scholars working with experimental methods. Users will find results from politics, education, and more.

• Balances methodological insights with analyses of principal findings and suggestions for further research
• Appeals broadly to social scientists seeking to develop an expertise in field experiments
• Written in a language that is accessible to graduate students and non-specialist economists

Graduate students and professionals in all fields of economics worldwide