Replication, Meta-Analysis, and Research Synthesis in Economics

Abstract

Replicability is essential to assure the scientific integrity of empirical economic research. Some authors have suggested metadata analysis as a complementary tool. This suggestion must be addressed with caution. Empirical studies in most of economics are nonstochastic in the sense that they seldom are created via experiments and, with the data and computer software in-hand, should be reproducible without error.