Economics

Economic Statistics with Calculus

A syllabus about economics and statistics

In Praise of Moderation: Suggestions for the Scope and Use of Pre-Analysis Plans for RCTs in Economics

Pre-Analysis Plans (PAPs) for randomized evaluations are becoming increasingly common in Economics, but their definition remains unclear and their practical applications therefore vary widely. Based on our collective experiences as researchers and …

Increasing the transparency of systematic reviews: Presenting a generalized registration form

This paper presents a generalized registration form for systematic reviews that can be used when currently available forms are not adequate. The form is designed to be applicable across disciplines (i.e., psychology, economics, law, physics, or any …

Promises and Perils of Pre-analysis Plans

The purpose of this paper is to help think through the advantages and costs of rigorous pre-specification of statistical analysis plans in economics. A pre-analysis plan pre-specifies in a precise way the analysis to be run before examining the data. …

Rationalizing pre-analysis plans: Statistical decisions subject to implementability

Pre-analysis plans (PAPs) are a potential remedy to the publication of spurious findings in empirical research, but they have been criticized for their costs and for preventing valid discoveries. In this article, we analyze the costs and benefits of …

The Economics of Reproducibility in Preclinical Research

Low reproducibility rates within life science research undermine cumulative knowledge production and contribute to both delays and costs of therapeutic drug development. An analysis of past studies indicates that the cumulative (total) prevalence of …

Who Would Have Thought That We Needed Another Listserv?

About two months ago, I published an interview with Richard Poynder in which he discussed his recent announcement that he was “signing off from reporting on open access,” because “the movement has failed and is being rebranded in order to obscure the …