The problem of external validity (or “parallelism”) in experimental economics
- 1 December 1999
- journal article
- other
- Published by SAGE Publications in Social Science Information
- Vol. 38 (4) , 555-573
- https://doi.org/10.1177/053901899038004003
Abstract
This article is in three parts: in the first section, a real case of laboratory experimentation in economics illustrates what experimentalists do in order to test the external validity of their results. Then, it is shown that such a practice presupposes a specific conception of the causal relations economists are seeking. Some general remarks about the notions of external validity and parallelism are provided in conclusion.Keywords
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