Views of the proper role of experiments in (environmental) economics and ecology have developed quite differently. Economics has devoted the majority of effort to abstract theory, with experimentation coming in a distant second. Kagel quotes a colleague who illustrates a common perception among...

If a firm can contest the enforcement of an environmental regulation, then neither increasing the probability nor severity of the fine will guarantee a reduction in the illegal dumping of waste. The only policy that unambiguously decreases illegal dumping is lowering the price at legal dump...