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Experimental political science

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Experimental political science httpsstaticcambridgeorgcoversXPS000jour

Experimental political science is the use of experiments, which may be natural or controlled, to implement the scientific method in political science.

History and usage

The first experiment in political science is generally regarded to be Harold Gosnell's 1924 study on voter turnout in Chicago. In this experiment, he randomly assigned districts to receive information on voter registration and encouragements to vote.

Since then, experimental research has become a growing area of political science. The publication of experimental research articles in flagship political science journals has risen, especially since the 1980s. Moreover, citation analysis indicates that articles using experimental methods have higher rates of citation.

Among the areas that it is used in are:

  • Political psychology, including survey methodology, loss aversion, influences on voter turnout, and media influence;
  • The effects on outcomes of different voting systems (e.g., storable votes), including the study of tactical voting;
  • The political economy of development;
  • International relations
    • and
  • Interactions and voting in legislatures (and other deliberative assemblies), including the effects of different voting methods and control of the agenda.

    • References

    Experimental political science Wikipedia
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