Executive Director Vilhuber presents Implementing Increased Transparency and Reproducibility in Economics

• Presenter: Lars Vilhuber
• Date and Time: April 1, 10:30-12:00 Eastern Time

I describe the efforts at the American Economic Association to improve transparency and reproducibility of the computational component of articles. The presentation will last 45 minutes, followed by a 45 minute discussion with participants.

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 progress 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.1

Materials

Presentation slides and a recording will be available shortly after the presentation.