Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/306783 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
IFN Working Paper No. 1504
Publisher: 
Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN), Stockholm
Abstract: 
Borrowing ideas from the medical sciences, we propose tentative guidelines for reliable causal inferences that cover aspects related to both the study itself and its fit with background knowledge. We argue that the current paradigm in economics tends to put too much emphasis on internal aspects related solely to the study itself. To substantiate this view, we discuss various excellent studies from different fields of economics, which all express causal and policy-relevant claims. We conclude that policy implications based on single studies are inherently uncertain, even when the respective studies are state-of-the-art.
Subjects: 
Causality
Empirical Economics
Methodology
Credibility
JEL: 
B41
C90
D90
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.