Perspectives on stakeholder participation in the design of economic experiments for agricultural policymaking: Pros, cons, and twelve recommendations for researchers

Abstract

Economic experiments have emerged as a powerful tool for agricultural policy evaluations. In this perspective, we argue that involving stakeholders in the design of economic experiments is critical to satisfy mandates for evidence‐based policies and encourage policymakers' usage of experimental results. To identify advantages and disadvantages of involving stakeholders when designing experiments, we synthesize observations from six experiments in Europe and North America. In these experiments, the primary advantage was the ability to learn within realistic decision environments and thus make relevant policy recommendations. Disadvantages include complicated implementation and constraints on treatment design. We compile 12 recommendations for researchers.

Do we speak one language on the way to sustainable soil management in Europe? A terminology check via an EU‐wide survey

“…In this regard, it might be worth while to consider that numerous studies deal with the communication of policy and science concepts in order to influence farmer decisions (e.g. Creissen & Lamichhane, 2024;Dessart et al, 2019;Prost et al, 2023), whereas research about how to engage practitioners in policy development is underrepresented (Bouma, 2022;Busse et al, 2023;Höhler et al, 2024;Zindler et al, 2023). Based on these insights, we may put forward recommendations for future studies.…”