The Catch-22 of External Validity in the Context of Constraints to Firm Growth

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2015
Volume: 105
Issue: 5
Pages: 295-99

Authors (2)

Greg Fischer (not in RePEc) Dean Karlan (Northwestern University)

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We document the presence of multiple and varied constraints to small and medium firm growth. This presents both a practical problem for business training programs and a challenge to academic economists trying to identify mechanisms though which these programs may affect outcomes. External validity needs theory. This pushes researchers to narrowly defined and highly selected sample frames, which limits the potential for clear, generalizable policy prescriptions. Ultimately, larger samples, multi-arm evaluations, process documentation, and narrowly-focused, theory-supported empirical work are all needed, but the complexity of the problem limits what we learn from any single study.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:105:y:2015:i:5:p:295-99
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25