International Relations 101 Full Course - International Relations 101: Observational vs Experimental Studies

http://gametheory101.com/courses/international-relations-101/ In an experimental study, we randomly assign who receives a treatment variable and who does not. As a result, it is relatively easy to attribute any difference in an outcome variable to the treatment. Unfortunately, we do not have much experimental data in international relations. Observational data, in contrast, can be full of confounding factors. If we are not careful, it will be easy to make mistakes in how we interpret statistical findings. With economic sanctions in particular, the observational data we receive is full of biases. We will discuss one of the biggest problems in the next lecture.