The Generalizability of IR Experiments beyond the United States

Theories of international relations (IR) typically make predictions intended to hold across many countries, yet existing experimental evidence testing their micro-foundations relies overwhelmingly on studies fielded in the United States. We argue that the broad nature of many IR theories makes it especially important to evaluate the extent to which their predictions hold across countries. To examine the generalizability of IR experimental findings beyond the US, we implemented a preregistered and harmonized multisite replication study, fielding four prominent IR experiments across a diverse set of seven democracies: Brazil, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Nigeria, and the US. We find high levels of generalizability across all four experiments, a pattern further analysis suggests is due to limited treatment effect heterogeneity. Our findings and approach offer important empirical and methodological insights for the design and interpretation of future experimental research in IR.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
American Political Science Review
Published
2024-12-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003055424001199
Citations
14
Primary Topic
Data-Driven Disease Surveillance
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.41

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

The Generalizability of IR Experiments beyond the United States

Chagai Weiss, Lotem Bassan‐Nygate, Jessica Weeks, Jonathan Renshon
14 citations
American Political Science Review
Data-Driven Disease Surveillance
5.41
article

The Generalizability of IR Experiments beyond the United States

Chagai Weiss, Lotem Bassan‐Nygate, Jessica Weeks, Jonathan Renshon
article en
14 citations

Abstract

Theories of international relations (IR) typically make predictions intended to hold across many countries, yet existing experimental evidence testing their micro-foundations relies overwhelmingly on studies fielded in the United States. We argue that the broad nature of many IR theories makes it especially important to evaluate the extent to which their predictions hold across countries. To examine the generalizability of IR experimental findings beyond the US, we implemented a preregistered and harmonized multisite replication study, fielding four prominent IR experiments across a diverse set of seven democracies: Brazil, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Nigeria, and the US. We find high levels of generalizability across all four experiments, a pattern further analysis suggests is due to limited treatment effect heterogeneity. Our findings and approach offer important empirical and methodological insights for the design and interpretation of future experimental research in IR.

American Political Science ReviewVol. 119(4)
University of Wisconsin–Madison (US), Harvard University Press (US), Stanford University (US)
Brown University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Cambridge, University College London
Partnerships for the goals
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Data-Driven Disease Surveillance
5.41
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.