Should we conduct correspondence study field experiments with political elites?
| Published date | 01 September 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/01925121211026489 |
| Author | Thomas Zittel,Tom Louwerse,Helene Helboe Pedersen,Wouter Schakel |
| Date | 01 September 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Original Research Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/01925121211026489
International Political Science Review
2023, Vol. 44(4) 459 –470
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/01925121211026489
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Should we conduct correspondence
study field experiments with
political elites?
Thomas Zittel
Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany
Tom Louwerse
Leiden University, Netherlands
Helene Helboe Pedersen
Aarhus University, Denmark
Wouter Schakel
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Abstract
Correspondence study field experiments with political elites are a recent addition to legislative studies
research, in which unsolicited emails are sent to elites to gauge their responsiveness. In this article, we
discuss their ethical implications. We advance from the viewpoint that correspondence study field
experiments involve trade-offs between costs and benefits that need to be carefully weighted. We elaborate
this argument with two contributions in mind. First, we synthesize ethical considerations in published work
to explore what the specific trade-offs are and how they can be mitigated by experimental design. We
conclude that correspondence study field experiments with political elites are worth pursuing given their
potential to further good governance. But they also involve distinct trade-offs that are particularly challenging.
Second, we draw from our own considerations while designing a comparative correspondence study field
experiment and stress challenges resulting from cross-national designs. In sum, we aim to facilitate further
reasoned discussion on an important methodological issue.
Keywords
Field experiments, legislators, legislative studies, research ethics, political representation
Corresponding author:
Thomas Zittel, Department of Social Sciences, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Campus Westend PEG – Postbox 40,
Frankfurt a.M. 60629, Germany.
Email: zittel@soz.uni-frankfurt.de
1026489IPS0010.1177/01925121211026489International Political Science ReviewZittel et al.
research-article2021
Original Research Article
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