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A replication recipe: List your ingredients before you start cooking

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  • Chang, Andrew C.

Abstract

The author argues that researchers should do replications using preanalysis plans. These plans should specify at least three characteristics: (1) how much flowtime the researchers will spend, (2) how much money and effort (working hours) the researchers will spend, and (3) the intended results and the precision of the replication necessary for "success". A researcher's replication will be "successful" according to context-specific criteria in the preanalysis plan. The author also argues that the two biggest drawbacks of preanalysis plans-(1) that they discount unexpected but extraordinary findings and (2) that they make it difficult for researchers to prespecify all possible actions in their decision trees-are less relevant for replications compared with new research. The author concludes with describing a preanalysis plan for replicating a paper on housing demand and household formation.

Suggested Citation

  • Chang, Andrew C., 2017. "A replication recipe: List your ingredients before you start cooking," Economics Discussion Papers 2017-74, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ifwedp:201774
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    File URL: http://www.economics-ejournal.org/economics/discussionpapers/2017-74
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    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/169133/1/898637708.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrew C. Chang & Phillip Li, 2017. "A Preanalysis Plan to Replicate Sixty Economics Research Papers That Worked Half of the Time," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(5), pages 60-64, May.
    2. Andrew C. Chang & Phillip Li, 2018. "Measurement Error In Macroeconomic Data And Economics Research: Data Revisions, Gross Domestic Product, And Gross Domestic Income," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 56(3), pages 1846-1869, July.
    3. Katherine Casey & Rachel Glennerster & Edward Miguel, 2012. "Reshaping Institutions: Evidence on Aid Impacts Using a Preanalysis Plan," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 127(4), pages 1755-1812.
    4. Donald R. Haurin & Stuart S. Rosenthal, 2007. "The Influence of Household Formation on Homeownership Rates Across Time and Race," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 35(4), pages 411-450, December.
    5. Lucas C. Coffman & Muriel Niederle, 2015. "Pre-analysis Plans Have Limited Upside, Especially Where Replications Are Feasible," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 29(3), pages 81-98, Summer.
    6. David Neumark, 1999. "The Employment Effects of Recent Minimum Wage Increases: Evidence from a Pre-specified Research Design," NBER Working Papers 7171, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Andrew C. Chang & Phillip Li, 2015. "Is Economics Research Replicable? Sixty Published Papers from Thirteen Journals Say \"Usually Not\"," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2015-83, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Benjamin D K Wood & Rui Müller & Annette N Brown, 2018. "Push button replication: Is impact evaluation evidence for international development verifiable?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(12), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Emma McManus & David Turner & Tracey Sach, 2019. "Can You Repeat That? Exploring the Definition of a Successful Model Replication in Health Economics," PharmacoEconomics, Springer, vol. 37(11), pages 1371-1381, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Data and code files; household formation; housing demand; preanalysis; prespecification; publication bias; replication;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology
    • C80 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - General
    • C81 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Microeconomic Data; Data Access
    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand

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