6.2 Ideal experiments: Exercise

  • What is the causal effect of victimization (being robbed by a stranger) on social trust (trust in strangers)? (Bauer 2015)
    • Q: If you had no (practical, ethical, financial) constraints what would your experiment look like?
      • Develop one with your neighbour(s)
        • What is the population you want to study?
        • What is your sample?
        • Where would the experiment take place?
        • When would the experiment take place?
        • How would you construct the treatment? How/with what are units treated? When?
        • Which units in the sample get treated?
        • How would you measure individuals’ trust? When would you measure it?
        • etc.

References

Bauer, Paul C. 2015. “Negative Experiences and Trust: A Causal Analysis of the Effects of Victimization on Generalized Trust.” Eur. Sociol. Rev. 31 (4): 397–417.