We offer an intensive, practice-oriented introduction to experimental methods for researchers and practitioners who want to strengthen the methodological foundation of their work. We focus on understanding behaviour through well-structured experiments that reveal how individuals and organizations make decisions, interact strategically, and respond to incentives. Rather than treating experiments as abstract techniques, we will demonstrate how you directly inform research questions in economics, market design, public policy, and decision science.
Core themes include causal inference, preference elicitation, strategic behaviour, experimental design, project organisation, and group decision making in controlled settings—in the lab and online. You learn what makes an experiment valid and informative: how to structure treatments, use randomization effectively, ensure proper control and comparison, and balance internal and external validity. Moreover, we discuss field-experimental approaches and the practical considerations that arise outside the lab.
A central feature is project work. You receive tailored feedback on your research ideas and, in small groups, develop new ones. This process helps you refine hypotheses, justify design choices, and understand the complete set of steps from an initial question to a rigorous experimental study.
Throughout the week, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, and collaborative work trace the entire world of experimental research.
Learning objectives
- You can design an experimental framework that applies principles of causal inference, randomization, and control to a clearly defined question in a laboratory or field context.
- You can analyse individual decision-making, preference elicitation, and strategic interaction by applying appropriate experimental tasks and interpreting behavioural data at an intermediate level.
- You can evaluate the validity and feasibility of different experimental designs by assessing internal and external validity, ethical considerations, and practical constraints.
- You can critically reflect on the role of experimental methods within by comparing laboratory, market, and partner-based designs and articulating their strengths and limitations for answering specific research questions.
