Does regional science need an experimentalist buzz?

The purpose of this article is to stimulate the discussion about the constant influx of new and potentially useful methods for empirical investigations in regional science and policy analysis. Particularly, the focus here lies on a brief presentation of ‘quasi’-experimentalist methods as a promising approach to derive causal statements with respect to the effectiveness of regional policy instruments. Outlining potential advantages and pitfalls of this approach by means of an illustrative empirical example, this article finally sets up a research agenda for its future use by regional scientists and economic geographers.