I then describe techniques that can improve economists' field research. These techniques have many strengths, but share the weakness of distance from individual economic actors. It is not always easy to figure out someone's incentives or strategies by looking only at outcomes. For example, Jim Rebitzer wondered why many professionals complain about long hours, yet few firms offer the option of short hours. In talking with lawyers, he learned that partners found it difficult to decide whom to promote in order to maximize their incomes.
Fieldwork allows exploration of areas with little pre-existing data or theory.
Fieldwork facilitates use of the right data. Fieldwork provides vivid images that promote intuition. But this tactic causes us to lose the vividness that is a principal benefit of fieldwork. Understanding the setting can help explain differences in findings between cases, by making clear the mechanism by which variables are linked. Many of these insights can be translated into the language of econometrics or theory.