Experiments on gender and corruption

Randomization is a powerful tool in the social sciences. Experiments are particularly useful when needing to capture a social or political phenomena that is otherwise hard to measure, like gender bias or the presence of corruption. This chapter describes how experimental methods are used to study questions relating to gender and corruption. First, I give an overview of several key experimental studies that show how and why gender might matter for corruption, which largely relates to perceived traits and stereotypes about women compared to men. I then review how different experimental methods – lab experiments, survey experiments, field experiments, and natural experiments – have been applied to the subject. Next, I turn to the limitations and challenges in using experimental approaches in studying gender and corruption. Finally, this chapter concludes with a few general guidelines and considerations regarding experimental work in this area.