Fieldwork, Economic Theory and Research on Institutions in Developing Countries

Development economics has been the beneÞciary of a rich tradition of Þeld research. Within this broad tradition there is a huge variety of methods, from short qualitative studies to large-scale surveys. In this note, however, I focus on one point in this broad space of research methodologies iterative Þeld research in which the collection of data through surveys is combined with detailed observation and conversation to elicit knowledge about institutions. Typically, empirical work in economics relies on existing data. However, it is becoming more common in development economics to complement existing data with relatively short, often less structured visits to the Þeld site in order to clarify aspects of the data, to better deÞne the economic environment, or to collect limited amounts of complementary data. For example, ICRISAT hosted and provided institutional support for a series of visiting scholars during the collection of the Village Level Surveys. This proved to be a relatively inexpensive mechanism that generated an important sequence of insights regarding economic institutions in India (e.g., John Pender, 1996). At the forefront of public service in development economics is that set of academic economists who have combined their time and energy with signiÞcant outside resources to direct and organize the collection of new large-scale datasets. An important recent example is the Indonesian Family Life Survey (http://www.rand.org/labor/FLS/IFLS), which tracks approximately 7,000 households over approximately 7 years.