Energy Economics

Replication is important. Many journals in economics, including Energy Economics, now insist on papers being published together with a replication package, and a few journals check that package prior to publication. This is a world apart from the common practice only a decade ago. However, the step change in replicability did not lead to a step change in replication.

Economics has become an empirical discipline. Applied econometrics has replaced mathematical economics in all but a few niche journals, and economists are collecting primary data again. But publication practices are lagging behind. Replication of a theoretical paper has never been an issue. You get out your pencil and paper and work through the proof of this or that theorem.