Scholarly Comments on Academic Economics

Decline in Critical Commentary, 1963-2004

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*Philip R. P. Coelho* is of professor of economics at Ball State University. He has published in The _American Economic Review, The Journal of Economic History, The Southern Economic Journal, Economic Inquiry_ and other journals. Current research interest
*James E. McClure* (Ph.D., Purdue University, 1983) is Professor of Economics at Ball State University, where his research focus is microeconomics. His publications appear in journals such as: _Economic Inquiry, Econ Journal Watch, Journal of Economic Beh

Abstract

Over the past four decades, top economics journals have virtually eliminated critical commentary (comments, replies, rejoinders, and the like). This article shows the data and discusses these steep declines in critical commentary. To the extent that critical commentary is beneficial to scientific inquiry, editorial opposition to critical commentary is detrimental to the advancement of economic knowledge.

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Volume (Issue)
Pages
355-361
Published
JEL classification
A10, A11, B40
Keywords
Critical commentary, scientific inquiry, debate, editorial policy, prejudice, error, reliability, animosity, vanity
Article Downloads (all formats)
3436 since Aug 2005

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