Book Review "Cambridge handbook of experimental political science"

Experimentation has formed the basis for modern scientific discovery. Francis Bacon (1561–
1626), “the father of empiricism,” was one of the first to propose a method of science based on
experimentation that results in new theories that can again be tested by experimentation. At first,
experiments seemed to be suitable only for the natural sciences. The method was later adopted by the
“softer” sciences such as psychology and economics. Until recently, political scientists thought that
classic experiments were not suitable for political science because of the complex and dynamic
character of the field. In the first chapter of this edited volume by James N. Druckman, Donald P.
Green, James H. Kuklinski, and Arthur Lupia, Lawrence Lowell (1910) is cited: “We are limited by
the impossibility of experiment. Politics is an observational, not an experimental science . . .” (p. 3).
However, the growing interest in causation and the empirically guided theory development have
caused a growth in the number of experiments in political science. Scholars are encouraged by the
ways in which experiments facilitate causation and use transparent procedures. Experimental political
science has gained momentum, and this handbook comes at the right time to capture this moment
and usher experimental political science forward.