Implementing Increased Transparency and Reproducibility in Economics

(together with cascad)

Abstract

Replicability is at the core of the scientific enterprise. In the past 30 years, recurring concerns about the extent of replicability (or lack thereof) of the research in various disciplines have surfaced, including in economics.

In this talk, I describe the context in which the current discussion in the social science is occurring: what are the definitions of replicability and reproducibility, what is failing, and to what extent. I discuss progess over the past 15 years. Finally, I discuss the concrete measures that have been implemented under my guidance at the American Economic Association, and the first preliminary outcomes from those measures. I conclude with some observations on how to integrate reproducibility into the scientific workflow in the social and statistical sciences.

The solutions to these problems will change the way research will be taught and conducted, in economics in particular, and in the social sciences more broadly. The implications affect undergraduate and graduate teaching, research infrastructure, and habits.