RESEARCH METHODS

FIELD EXPERIMENT
 TABLE OF CONTENT

• INTODUCTION

• TASK GIVEN

• ARTICLE CHOSEN

• ABSTRACT

• CONCLUSION
 TASK GIVEN
• WE ARE TO CHOOSE AND STUDY AN ARTICLE ON
FIELD EXPERIMENTS BASED ON REPORT WRITING
GUILDLINES

WHAT IS A FIELD EXPERIMENT

• A FIELD EXPERIMENT IS AN EXPERIMENT IN WHICH
BEHAVIOUR IS MEASURED IN A NATURAL
ENVIRONMENT THOUGH A KEY VARIABLE IS
ALTERED SO ITS EFFECT CAN BE MEASURED.
 TYPES OF FIELD EXPERIMENTS

• FRAMED FIELD EXPERIMENT: SAME AS

ARTEFACTUAL BUT WITH FIELD CONTEXT IN EITHER
THE COMMODITY, TASK OR INFORMATION SET
SUBJECTS CAN USE
.
• NATURAL FIELD EXPERIMENT: SAME AS
FIELD, BUT SUBJECTS NATURALLY UNDERTAKE
TASKS NOT KNOWING IT IS AN EXPERIMENT.
 EXAMPLES OF FIELD EXPERIMENTS

• NATURAL EXPERIMENTS (E.G. ANGRIST’S WORK

ON THE
VIETNAM DRAFT LOTTERY)

• LARGE SCALE RANDOMIZED PROGRAMMES

(LABOUR ECONOMICS, DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS)

• SMALL TO MEDIUM SCALE REAL-LIFE

EXPERIMENTS WITH LAB-STYLE TREATMENTS
(UNBEKNOWN TO SUBJECTS)
 ARTICLE CHOSEN
• : “DO NEWSPAPER ADS RAISE VOTER TURNOUTS?”

REASON FOR THE STUDY

• TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF A NON PARTISAN
NEWSPAPER
• ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE
VOTER PARTICIPATION
 ABSTRACT
• THIS STUDY DESCRIBES THE FIRST RANDOMISED FIELD
EXPERIMENT GAUGING THE EFFECTS OF POLITICAL
ADVERTISING IN NEWSPAPERS

INTRODUCTION

PROBLEM STATEMENT
• DETERMINING THE EFFECT NEWSPAPER ADS HAVE ON
VOTER TURNOUT
CONTEXT
• FOUR CITIES SAMPLED IN THE UNITED STATES

BACKGROUND
• THE STUDY IS THE FIRST OF RANDOMISED FIELD
EXPERIMENT UNDERTAKEN FOR THIS TOPIC

METHODOLOGY
• USE OF FIELD EXPERIMENTAL METHODOLOGY USING A
MATCH PAIRED DESIGN
• USE OF S CRITERIA TO IDENTIFY 4 CLOSELY MATCHED
PAIRS OF CITIES AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED 1 CITY IN EACH
PAIR TO THE TREATMENT OR CONTROL GROUP
• THE OMNIBUS TEST AND THE INSPECTION OF COVARIATE-
BY-COVARIATE TO ANALYSE THE MATCH FRAMED WORK
EFFECTS
• THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN THE VOTER TURNOUTS
• DUE TO THE NATURAL SETTINGS IN WHICH THE TEST
WAS CONDUCTED, THE PEOPLE ACCEPTED THE NEWS
AS THEY WOULD HAVE DONE WITH ANY ORDINARY
NEWS.
• THERE WAS EASY INFORMATION DISSERMINATION
TO THE PEOPLE
CONCLUSION
• THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING CAN PLAY A ROLE IN
VOTER TURNOUT. MOREOVER, THE FIELD
EXPERIMENTAL METHODOLOGY USING A MATCH
PAIRED DESIGN IS A PRODUCTIVE WAY TO MEASURE
THE EFFECTS OD NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING ON
POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR AND CAN HELP PLACE THE
FINDINGS OF OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES INTO
PERSPECTIVES

REFERENCE
• AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY COSTAS PANAGOPOULOS
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE.