Experimental Methods in Politics

Experiments to study and influence politics are increasingly widespread, partly because they identify cause-and-effects that are not possible with polls and other data. No longer confined to the lab, political scientists and campaign operatives use new technology to conduct experiments on thousands of voters in real elections. Massive political experiments have been conducted on Facebook, by mail and telephone, but is it ethical to influence politics in pursuit of new knowledge? What have experiments taught us about voting, identity, and representation in America? This class will cover these and other aspects of using experiments in politics.