Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/273838 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper No. TI 2023-027/V
Publisher: 
Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam and Rotterdam
Abstract: 
In many public policy areas, randomized policy experiments can greatly contribute to our knowledge of the effects of policies and can thus help to improve public policy. However, policy experiments are not very common. This paper studies whether a lack of appreciation of policy experiments among voters may be the reason for this. Using unique survey data representative of the Dutch electorate, we find clear evidence contradicting this view. Voters strongly support policy experimentation and, in line with theory, particularly so when they do not hold a strong opinion about the policy. In a subsequent survey experiment among Dutch politicians, we find that politicians conform their expressed opinion about policy experiments to what we tell them the actual opinion of voters is. We conclude that voters are not afraid of policy experiments and neither are politicians when we tell them that voters are not.
Subjects: 
policy experiments
randomized controlled trials
voters
politicians
public policy
survey experiment
conformism.
JEL: 
C93
D72
D78
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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