Methodological issues in experimental design and interpretation

This article is organized around two topics: the first one is the methodology of experimental economics, a research program that is becoming increasingly influential in contemporary economic science. The second one is normative methodology, an issue that has been widely debated by philosophers of economics over the last two decades. A methodological discussion of experimental economics could simply aim at describing the methods used by experimental economists in their daily work, without asking questions of efficacy or justification. Another approach, the one that is pursued here, is to take a more direct normative stance: instead of passively observing what economists do, the philosopher steps down in the arena of scientific debate and tries to issue some cautious advice on methodological matters.