Abstract:
This report replicates and extends the empirical analysis of Fry (2023), which studies the impact of the 2014 West African Ebola epidemic on the scientific productivity of researchers in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Using the replication package provided by the author, we exactly reproduce all main results, confirming the study's computational reproducibility. We further assess robustness with respect to alternative regression models, sample definitions, and matching procedures. While the main findings are robust across specifications, we find that the estimated effects are largely driven by researchers based in Sierra Leone, highlighting the importance of heterogeneity within the treated group.
