When researchers come to small and somewhat sensitive-to-error conclusions about a policys effects, the findings become a bit of a Rorschach test, with interpretations reflecting the policy preferences of those doing the interpreting (myself very much included) more than they do the underlying facts. The prevalence of small effects opens the way to alternative interpretations of the research findings, Nobel economist Robert Solow, commenting on the results, wrote. The interpretation adopted will depend a lot on the interpreters ideological and doctrinal preconceptions and only a little on the detailed experimental results themselves.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 10:56:52 +0000